A Commander's Path: Road To Freedom
by foldguy24
Summary: A US Ranger team finds themselves trapped in a GLA stronghold after destroying their target. A lucky green portal saves them from being roasted by the GLA after being discovered but transports them to a world of a messed-up fairy tale where magic exists. See how soldiers trained by a free-world nation cope against tyrannical rulers and fight for the freedom of the oppressed.
1. Prologue: Moving Out

**Author's Notes: I just wrote this cross-over fanfiction story simply because I liked Command and Conquer: Generals and its expansion Zero Hour aside from Zero no Tsukaima. Sadly, I'm not able to play it because my computer, or laptop for this matter, doesn't read the game's CD whenever I try to install it (actually, it aborts itself when the installation meter reaches 70% or something). By the way, I chose the USA as the faction where my five-man OC team will come from. I simply chose the USA because this is the faction that I always choose whenever I play the game since it suits my strategies (whenever I got the chance to play this game on other computers).**

**Anyways, about the story, this story will take spy fiction elements like infiltration, deception and, at times, assassinations by a wide margin unlike General RTS' fanfic "Drifter Series: Revolution and Freedom" and it's sequel, "Drifter Series: The Bloody Crusade" which both basically relies more on military fiction based on my POV. So, expect some unlucky royalists being assassinated as the story progresses (probably including Henrietta but I would not confirm it at the moment). Saito and the official cast will be appearing as well though the main point of view will be on the leader of the 5-man Ranger team and, at times, his subordinates. Before I forgot, the main OC's rank will be Captain instead of Commander because the rank of Commander is reserved for the Navy. The reason for this is because the main OC will be engaged in military affairs where he will need to COMMAND his men to victory later on in the story. Other OCs will also have a role to play.**

**This fanfic story takes place during the events shortly after Wales' death which preludes the Albion invasion of Tristain during the first season and during the aftermath of Command and Conquer: Generals Zero Hour where the USA recalls a majority of its forces in Europe to defend the US mainland from a suspected GLA attack. Oh yeah, trust me, this fanfic is different from the other military-themed fanfics of Zero no Tsukaima. Expect something unpleasant as you read. Some characters will be likely losing an arm or a leg or even a head. War is always as bad as it gets.**

**I don't own any of the Command and Conquer games and Zero no Tsukaima. All credits go to their respective owners.**

**Oh, aside from liking the games said above, another reason why I wrote this fanfic is because I have an easy time coping up with the terms that I read in a book regarding politics and military history. Anyways, on with the story.**

**A Commander's Path: Road To Freedom fanfic by foldguy24**

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**COMM... Loading...**

* * *

**========== Prologue: Moving Out ==========**

**At a briefing room of a US Strategy Center somewhere in the Russian-Kazakhstani border…**

**0800 Hours…**

The inside of the briefing room is dark while a projector is displaying different information on a clean white wall. A US Army officer is debriefing five men wearing Ranger-Standard Battle Dress Uniforms.

"Listen men", Lieutenant-Colonel Tom C. Marshal said, "We received reports from our agents in Kazakhstan that a Global Liberation Army cell is using an abandoned industrial area as a hiding place for toxins that are believed to be stolen from the People's Liberation Army. Right now, your team's mission is to confirm if this Intel is right and, if confirmed and possible, you are to safely dispose them. We already have permission from the Chinese government to destroy these stolen toxins so we won't suffer any reprisals from China the moment you destroyed the toxins."

"Understood", one of the men in ranger's uniform said in a tone that implies that he's the leader of the team, "Is there anything else?"

"That's all for it Captain", Tom said, "You'll be informed through radio if there's any changes in your mission parameters. You are to leave at approximately 1000 hours and I believe you'll reach the area of operations within two hours. All men, you are now dismissed."

All five men then stood up and stretched their arms to salute their commanding officer.

Tom then saluted them in return.

As the men are leaving, Tom said to the captain "Captain, ensure you and your men will come back here alive in one piece. I don't want to see you or any of your men butchered by those suckers in one of their propaganda trash articles. Is that clear?"

The captain turned around to face Tom before replying.

"Sir, we're too awesome to die here. Those GLA bastards won't get us", the captain said with a grin on his face.

* * *

**Somewhere in Kazakhstan, Old Industrial Area (Abandoned Facilities)...**

**1200 Hours...**

A CH-47 Chinook is flying towards what seems to be an old industrial area littered with derelict factories and warehouses. As the Chinook neared the area, it decreased its speed to make a stealthy entry into the area. When it is already above an abandoned building, a warehouse to be exact, a group of 5 rangers rappelled downwards until they touched the roof of the warehouse. When the leader in charge of the team was sure that his men are all on the ground, he waved the Chinook to say that everything is fine. The Chinook then ascended upwards and flew out of the area until it now looks as a tiny speck in the sky.

The small US Ranger team consisting of 5 rangers is stealthily making their way into a suspected GLA-occupied location. Intel suggests that the area is occupied with remnant GLA forces and is believed that the GLA forces in question are using the area to store dangerous toxins known as the Anthrax Gamma. The toxins actually belonged to the GLA but the People's Liberation Army is said to have seized them from an operation although the GLA was able to retake it back at the cost of heavy casualties on their side. Their main objective is to confirm whether the Intel is right and, if possible, find out a way to safely dispose said toxins.

Right now, the Ranger team is in an urban location with lots of abandoned houses and other structures like warehouses and vehicle depots. So far, the team haven't encountered any GLA rebel as they continued to advance. As they advance, one of the rangers asked his commanding officer.

"Captain, are you sure that the Intel's right?", a soldier by the name of Private Henry K. Elsen asked.

The captain turned to his subordinate and answered.

"Whether the Intel's right or wrong, we basically don't have any choice Private", Captain Mark A. Mitchell answered.

Well, the remnants of the US Military Command in Europe have no choice but to make due with whatever of their forces is left. The US Military Headquarters in Europe located on Stuttgart-Vaihigen, Germany has been overrun by GLA forces. Because of that, American forces have to retreat not to mention that the US government has ordered a massive recall of all US forces in Europe to defend the US mainland against a suspected GLA attack. And consequently, this resulted in few American forces left in Europe to deal with the GLA. The bad point of this situation is that the GLA got their hands on high-tech American military hardware which, as Mark says, is a real pain in the ass. Now, the GLA is likely able to mount a real punch in the battlefield thanks to stolen American weaponry.

The team continued to move on and on around the area. Finally, or should Mark say "at last", the team finally found a bunch of rebels lazing out on the second floor of a high-rise building. Mark raised his hand to tell his men to stop and hide behind the walls so as not to get spotted.

"Lieutenant, see if there's more of them in the building", Mark said to one of his men.

"Roger that", Lieutenant James S. Boyle replied.

James then took out his binoculars and turned it to thermal sight configuration before peering through it.

"Eight tangos located at the first floor", Lt. Boyle said as he saw the heat signatures of the GLA rebels in the area.

"Understood", Mark said, "Listen men, our objective is to confirm the existence of the alleged toxins in the area and, if possible, safely dispose them. We have limited manpower at the moment as High Command recalled the majority of US forces in Europe to defend the US Mainland from a suspected GLA Attack. Men, make this shot count."

"Roger", all of his men said.

The Ranger team then made a detour to evade with what seemed to be a GLA lookout post.

As the team advanced, Mark asked one of his men which happened to wield an M240L machine gun.

"Sergeant Lipton, you're in charge of safely disposing the toxins once we secured them. Is that clear sergeant?", Mark asked.

"Affirmative", Sergeant Kenneth J. Lipton said.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a US Strategy Center...**

**1230 Hours...**

"[COMMS] This is Command to Recon Team, did you find the target?", Lieutenant-Colonel Tom said over the radio.

"[COMMS] Not yet", Mark replied, "[COMM] The area's littered with GLA forces, we can't move that freely."

"[COMMS] Understood", the Tom replied.

The officer then terminated the transmission. Just as he is about to recline on his chair, CIC officer went up to him.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Tom, we got a hit on radar", the CIC officer said.

Tom looked up at the CIC officer and said "Is that a group of heavily armed GLA forces?"

"Not quite, it appears to be some sort of transport convoy and it's heading to where Captain Mitchell's team is in", the CIC officer replied, "It's also lightly guarded as well."

Tom pondered for a moment before replying.

"Can you give me a visual of that convoy?", Tom asked.

"Yes sir", the CIC officer replied.

In the next few moments, an LCD screen lit up in front of Tom showing trailer trucks with only a few machine gun-armed technicals acting as escort.

Thinking of a decision, Tom immediately re-established connection with Captain Mitchell's group.

"[COMMS] This is Command to Recon Team, a transport convoy is inbound to your location. You are to find out whatever the cargo trucks contain and destroy them if appropriate", Tom said.

"[COMMS] Copy that, Recon team out", Mark said.

* * *

**Back at Captain Mitchell's Group...**

**Old Industrial Area (Abandoned Facilities)...**

**1245 Hours...**

"Sir, additional objectives?", a ranger wielding an SR-25 sniper rifle by the name of Michael M. Simmons with a rank of Private said.

"Yes", Mark said, "Alright men, Command sent us a new objective. The process is still the same. We need to destroy it if needed."

His men nodded at what he said. Shortly after sorting up the new objective, the team proceeded to move on.

After searching the entire GLA compound, the Ranger team eventually found their target: a pile of barrels holding Anthrax Gamma and is inside on what appears to be a storage room. Thankfully, the toxin is inert at the moment because the only content of the barrels is just one of the primary ingredients for the toxin. The GLA is yet to mix it with the other ingredient to completely make it usable. There are three guards left in the storage room and they appear to be lazing off.

"All men, grab your knives and move behind the storage room. We need to take them out silently", Mark said, "Henry, you take the lead. Slice that bastard over there from behind."

Henry nodded and quietly sneaked up behind the GLA rebel along with the other members of the team including Mark coming from behind the storage room. The moment he is finally behind the rebel. He delivered a powerful blow to the rebel's neck sending the man reeling in pain. Henry then sank the blade on the back of the rebel's head.

"Hostile neutralized", Henry said as the rebel's blood drip on his M9 combat knife which he immediately pulled out.

The other two guards were taken out by Mark and Kenneth in the same fashion as well.

"The coast's clear", Michael said.

Once Mark considered that the room is already clear of GLA rebels. He ordered Kenneth to do his job.

"Sergeant, neutralize the toxins now. Do it fast", Mark said.

Kenneth nodded and walked up to the barrels of inert toxin and started to dispose it by inserting another chemical that will ruin the composition of the Anthrax Gamma.

"Sir, the toxins have been neutralized", Kenneth said.

"Affirmative", Mark said.

Mark then took out his communication device and activated it.

"[COMMS] This is Captain Mitchell to Command, the toxins have been neutralized", Mark said over the radio.

"[COMMS] This is Command to Recon team, understood", Tom said on the other line.

"[COMMS] Roger that. Recon team will move on to the new objective", Mark replied.

Just as Mark is waiting for Command to reply, an RPG rocket suddenly slammed into the storage room. Gunfire then followed.

"Fuck! We're spotted!", Michael yelled.

"[COMMS] This is Command, what is going on there?!", Tom's voice said.

"[COMMS] This is Captain Mitchell, we've been spotted by the enemy. We need to return fire now", Mark replied.

"[COMMS] Understood, an airstrike will arrive in 30 minutes. The new objective's been canceled so use the time to get the hell out of there captain", Tom ordered.

"[COMMS] Roger that, Captain Mitchell out", Mark said as he tightly held his M16A4 rifle and took cover.

"Everyone take cover!", Mark ordered.

His men then hid behind the walls of the storage room and started firing at the GLA rebels through the windows. The storage room now acted as an improvised bunker for the now-trapped ranger team. Thankfully for them, the GLA rebels won't be using another RPG rocket in fear that they might mess up the toxins which they broke their backs to get their hands on which, unknown to them, is already messed up. Consequently, only AK-47 and machine gun fire from the technicals will be the only ones that will greet the ranger team.

Mark then opened fire from his hiding place hoping to shoot down a rebel. Fortunately, he managed to take one out with a headshot.

"Tango down", Mark said as he saw the rebel he shot fell dead.

Kenneth is busy firing at a group of rebels with his M240L machine gun. The 7.62x51mm rounds that his machine gun fires is really effective in this situation. While the rounds can't penetrate tank armor, the fact that the GLA's armor division is rather frail makes his weapon strong enough to pierce through technicals which are just pickup trucks with a heavy machine gun mounted at the back. Kenneth scored a kill when he managed to riddle down a rebel hiding behind a technical with a several bullets.

"Captain, we need to get the hell out of here!", James said as he open fire on the rebels with his own M16A4.

"I know, but we can't get out of here unless we take out these bastards", Mark replied, "Michael, snipe the gunners on the technicals. They're a real pain in the ass."

"Roger", Michael said.

Michael then aimed his SR-25 at a rebel firing a technical's machine gun into their position blindly. He then took a deep breath as he steady his aim on the rebel's head in an attempt to score a headshot. After a moment or so, Michael pulled the trigger and his rifle barked silently because of the attached suppressor. The hit was a success. The rebel's head exploded like a blasted tomato before the rebel's body fell on the ground headless.

The firing ceased after about 20 minutes.

"All hostiles eliminated", Henry confirmed as he recognized that none of the rebels are left.

"Okay, move out!" Mark said, "We don't have much time left before the Warthogs blow this place to hell!"

The ranger team then made a run to get out alive. Suddenly, a pair of Scorpion tanks appeared in front of the team in an attempt to block their path.

"Oh Shit!", James exclaimed.

"Fall Back!", Mark said as he and his men fired at the tanks while falling back.

After several moments of running, the team is now holed up in a larger warehouse. Thankfully, they were able to lock the door preventing the rebels from getting in, at least for now.

"Fuck! We're trapped!", Michael said.

Mark is busy thinking on what to do to escape. Right now, he has less than 10 minutes to make him and his team escape the area before the airstrike will bomb the place.

Suddenly, Mark noticed that some of his men yanked up and has a look on their faces that say that they saw a ghost.

"Captain, look at that!", Henry said while his hand is pointing somewhere.

Mark then turned around so he could look at the direction that Henry is pointing at. Much to his shock, he saw a green portal suspended on mid-air and the portal shows a light green and grassy forest akin to those he see in Eastern Europe although the area that the portal is showing is dark meaning the area beyond the portal is in night time. Of course, this is puzzling as it is still noon and the sun is still high up in the sky.

Mark then weighed up his options. Right now, they are currently trapped by the GLA and are now holed up in this warehouse with only a few minutes left before they get toasted by the incoming A-10 airstrike.

"Men, let's move through there", Mark ordered.

"Captain, are you serious?!", James asked with the other rangers looking at Mark.

"We don't have much of a choice lieutenant", Mark replied, "At least we have a chance of saving or asses if we go through there than wait here to get roasted."

James then nodded which means that he now agreed with Mark on the decision. The rest of the team also has the same view as James and they eventually agreed with Mark.

After a few moments, the team stepped through the portal just before the portal itself closed leaving the inside of the warehouse empty. When the GLA managed to get in by having one of their scorpion tanks ram the door. They didn't found anything or anybody. Just an empty warehouse.

* * *

**Back at the US Strategy Center**

**1315 Hours...**

"Lieutenant-Colonel, we've lost contact with Captain Mitchell's team", the CIC officer said.

"Did they managed to get out?", Tom asked.

"I don't know, sir", the CIC officer said, "their signal simply vanished with no signs of being killed."

Tom pondered for a moment on what happened. His logical brain says that Mitchell's team can't simply disappear without any explanation.

As he wrapped up his thoughts, the only words that came out of his mouth is "What... the... fuck..."

_-CHAPTER 1 END-_

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Soldiers of the five-man Ranger team

Name: Mark A. Mitchell

Rank: Captain

Role in team: Leader

Equipment:

**Primary Weapon:** M16A4 with M203 Grenade Launcher (attached under the barrel), attachable suppressor and mounted ACOG AN/PVQ-31

**Secondary Weapon:** Heckler & Koch MK23 (with attachable suppressor)

**Tertiary Weapon:** M9 Bayonet (Combat Knife)

**Ammunitions :** 30 rounds (5.56x45mm) in STANAG magazine currently loaded in the rifle with 22 reserve mags for a total of 660 rounds*, 1 round (40x46mm) currently loaded in grenade launcher with additional 15 rounds*, and 12 rounds (.45 ACP) currently loaded in handgun with 30 additional mags for a total of 360 rounds*

*All stuffed inside combat backpack known as the Improved Load Bearing Equipment backpack.

**Other Equipment:** A flashlight, 4 HE Grenades and 4 Flash Bang Grenades and Communication equipment.

Name: Henry K. Elsen

Rank: Private First Class

Role in team: Close-Quarters Combat (CQC) specialist

Equipment

**Primary Weapon:** M16A4 with M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System (attached under the barrel), attachable suppressor and mounted ACOG AN/PVQ-31

**Secondary Weapon:** Heckler & Koch MP7 with attachable suppressor, Zeiss RSA Reflex Red Dot Sight and LLM01 (Laser Light Module 01)

**Tertiary Weapon:** M9 Bayonet (Combat Knife)

**Ammunitions :** 30 rounds (5.56x45mm) in STANAG magazine currently loaded in the rifle with 22 reserve mags for a total of 660 rounds*, 40 rounds (4.6x30mm) currently loaded in SMG with 20 reserve mags for a total of 800 rounds*, 5 rounds (12 gauge) currently loaded in under barrel shotgun with additional 20 mags for a total of 300 rounds*, and 12 rounds (.45 ACP) currently loaded in handgun with 30 additional mags for a total of 360 rounds*

*All stuffed inside combat backpack known as the Improved Load Bearing Equipment backpack.

**Other Equipment:** A flashlight, 4 HE Grenades, 4 Flash bang Grenades, 3 Smoke Grenades and Communication equipment.

Name: Kenneth J. Lipton

Rank: Sergeant

Role in team: Heavy weapons expert and Demolition specialist

Equipment

**Primary Weapon:** M240L Machine gun with mounted M145 Machine Gun Optic and deployable bipod

**Secondary Weapon:** Heckler & Koch MK23 (with attachable suppressor)

**Tertiary Weapon:** M9 Bayonet (Combat Knife)

**Ammunitions :** 150 rounds (7.62x51mm) in machine gun box loaded on the weapon with 20 additional boxes for a total of 3000 rounds*, and 12 rounds (.45 ACP) currently loaded in handgun with 30 additional mags for a total of 360 rounds* *All stuffed inside combat backpack known as the Improved Load Bearing Equipment backpack.

**Other Equipment:** A flashlight, 4 HE Grenades, 10 C4 charges, and 3 Tear Gas Grenades and Communication equipment.

Name: James S. Boyle

Rank: Lieutenant

Role in team: Point Man (second in command of the team)

Equipment

**Primary Weapon:** M16A4 with M203 Grenade Launcher (attached under the barrel), attachable suppressor and mounted ACOG AN/PVQ-31

**Secondary Weapon:** Heckler & Koch MK23 (with attachable suppressor)

**Tertiary Weapon:** M9 Bayonet (Combat Knife)

**Ammunitions :** 30 rounds (5.56x45mm) in STANAG magazine currently loaded in the rifle with 22 reserve mags for a total of 660 rounds*, 1 round (40x46mm) currently loaded in grenade launcher with additional 15 rounds*, and 12 rounds (.45 ACP) currently loaded in handgun with 30 additional mags for a total of 360 rounds* *All stuffed inside combat backpack known as the Improved Load Bearing Equipment backpack.

**Other Equipment:** A flashlight, 4 HE Grenades, 3 Tear Gas grenades, Binoculars with Thermal configuration and Communication equipment.

Name: Michael M. Simmons

Rank: Private

Role in team: Marksman

Equipment

**Primary Weapon:** SR-25 with attachable suppressor, mounted Leupold Mark 4 Mil-dot riflescope, and swivel base bipod

**Secondary Weapon:** Heckler & Koch MK23 (with attachable suppressor)

**Tertiary Weapon:** M9 Bayonet (Combat Knife)

**Ammunitions :** 20 rounds (7.62x51mm) in STANAG magazine currently loaded in the rifle with 21 reserve mags for a total of 420 rounds***, **and 12 rounds (.45 ACP) currently loaded in handgun with 30 additional mags for a total of 360 rounds* *All stuffed inside combat backpack known as the Improved Load Bearing Equipment backpack.

**Other Equipment:** A flashlight, 4 HE Grenades, 4 Flashbang Grenades and Communication equipment.

* * *

**PS: This is my first military fanfic ever and the third fanfic I've written. Hope you guys liked it. R&R so I could make improvements as the story goes on. If you noticed that some of the equipment doesn't fit in with the Rangers compared to the official ones (in C&C Generals), it's because I customized it to my preference. Also, all rangers are wearing their army-issue steel helmets and bullet-proof vest in this fanfic with matching sand goggles. Also, I got Mark's surname from Scott Mitchell, the leader of the Joint Strike Force in EndWar. Speaking of that, I also don't own EndWar. All credits go to its respective owner.**

**Also, when I said "Ranger-Standard Battle Dress Uniform", just look at what the Ranger wears in Command and Conquer: Generals. That is what the uniform Captain Mark Mitchell's team wears. They also have equipment shown on the portrait of the Ranger in C&C Generals like goggles (with a night vision function) and ballistic vests. And by the way, I can't guarantee any romantic developments anytime soon from my five OC ranger team but it is a possibility. Also, "mags" stand for magazine.**

**Compared to my first two fanfics, I would have difficulties trying to write chapters for this story so expect at least two weeks for the next chapter to come in.**


	2. Turn 1: Uncharted Area

**Author's Notes: To everyone that gave reviews for this fanfic, thanks for giving me suggestions. To those who suggested bringing in heavy weaponry like gattling tanks and overlord tanks just wait. You guys will see that you'll get more than what you suggested but not yet. By the way, expect to see Molotov cocktails later in the story as making them is quite easy. It's just a glass bottle filled with petroleum or any other flammable liquid and small fuse on the lid. Anyway, on with the story.**

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**========== Turn 1: Uncharted Area ==========**

_"The right of revolution is an inherent one. When people are oppressed by__their government, it is a natural right they enjoy to relieve themselves of__oppression, if they are strong enough, whether by withdrawal from it, or by__overthrowing it and substituting a government more acceptable."  
__- General Ulysses S. Grant_

**Somewhere in a deep forest area…**

**XXXX Hours (Night Time)**

"Captain, where are we?", James asked.

"I'm not sure Lieutenant", Mark replied.

The Ranger team entered the green portal and now found themselves in a heavily dense and thick forest at night. The strange part, however, is that it is still noon when they stepped into the portal but it is currently night time. It couldn't be some sort of a time fast forward isn't it? The US military haven't planned for any time machine or something that can do this let alone a teleporter. The GLA obviously don't have the resources and expertise to do this either. China is also out of the question as well.

"Captain, we can't establish contact with Command. The radio's dead", James said, "But we can still communicate with each other using our radios.

"Understood, Lieutenant", Mark replied.

Mark then started thinking. Suddenly, a burst of flame and explosion is heard from a distance.

This startled the ranger team leading them to cock the safety locks of their rifles to semi-automatic fire configuration and held it tightly in their hands except Kenneth who was armed with an M240L which is permanently set to either safe lock or full automatic only.

"Men, activate your night vision goggles and prepare to move out", Mark odered.

The other rangers nodded at Mark's order as they activated the night vision capability of their goggles and followed behind Mark as the ranger team head straight for the source of the sounds albeit in a cautious pace.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Old Industrial Area (Abandoned Facilities), Kazakhstan...**

**1400 Hours**

Several Crusader tanks are positioned around the derelict industrial area while Chinooks and Apache attack helicopters fly above the area. The US army have managed to secure the area and established a defensive perimeter around it after leveling it with an earlier A-10 airstrike. GLA rebels who have survived the airstrike are taken into custody by the US forces.

Suddenly, a Humvee is seen speeding at the area at full speed.

As soon as the Humvee reached the area, Tom exited the vehicle and walk towards one of the rangers in the area doing some sort of search operation as they lift up debris that used to be part of a building. The moment the rangers noticed Tom is approaching them, they ceased their activities and stretched their arms to salute. Tom responded in kind and saluted them.

"Have you found any signs of Captain Mitchell's team?", Tom asked.

The ranger shook his head.

"Negative, we are unable to locate any of the rangers", the ranger said, "We already scanned the entire area but there's still no sign of any of them."

"I see", Tom said as he pondered Mark's whereabouts.

"_Just where did Mitchell and his team go?",_Tom thought to himself.

* * *

**Somewhere at the edge of a forest clearing…**

**XXXX Hours (Night Time)**

***Notice = The portal that the team went into also allowed the them to understand Halkegenian due to the nature of Brimir's unique world gate spell***

Mark and his men finally made it to a forest clearing only to see a mid-sized village burning as balls of flame erupted into the houses made of wood.

"Sir, the village is under attack!", Henry said.

"Those GLA bastards!", James said angrily", "Firing at villagers! Just how many assholes are in their ranks anyway?!"

"Calm down men", Mark said.

Suddenly, Mark thought he saw something up in the sky approaching the burning village. Attempting to ensure if he really saw something, he ordered James to use his binoculars to see if there's really anything up in the sky.

"Lieutenant, use your binoculars to see if there are anything flying in the sky", Mark ordered.

James paused for a moment as he snapped his thoughts out of the burning village before responding.

"Affirmative", James said.

James took out his binoculars and toggled it to a higher magnification.

Mark and the other rangers saw James gulp as he looked at his binoculars.

"Lieutenant, what did you see?", Mark asked.

"A… A dragon", James replied slowly.

"What do you mean dragon?", Kenneth asked.

Mark borrowed James' binoculars and peered through it only to see three dragons flying towards the burning village.

"Men, it's official", Mark said as he handed the binoculars back to James, "We're in some sort of a fucked up fairy tale."

The other rangers except James raised an eyebrow at Mark's statement.

"What do you mean Captain?", Michael asked.

"Look, me and James just saw a trio of dragons flying up in the skies above us and the current terrain we are in. Our mission briefing didn't imply any village settlement near the area of our operation. Also, the forest trees here don't match those found in Kazakhstan if you inspect them carefully. And by the way, I'm sure that all of you know for a fact that there are no villages in Kazakhstan that have down-to-earth medieval Europe-era houses."

Mark's explanation silenced the lingering doubts in his men but another question came up.

"So captain, what are we going to do now?", James asked.

"We need to get information of where are we now", Mark replied, "And I believe saving the villagers in there will be the key."

Just then, the ranger team saw a badly wounded villager with his head facing down fleeing the burning village only to be incarcerated by a fire ball fired by what the rangers saw to be a man in fancy wizard robes wielding a piece of wooden stick. The moment the rangers saw the man in fancy wizard robes burn the unlucky villager to cinders, they immediately ducked to avoid being spotted. The camouflage pattern of their uniforms partnered by the darkness of the night allowed them to be not spotted.

"Now that makes this a really fucked up fairy tale", Mark commented, "And helping the villagers makes things much more important."

As soon as the man in fancy clothes turned his back and returned to the burning village, Mark issued an order.

"Men, our current objective is to neutralize all hostiles inside the village. We are uncertain to how many they are so keep your eyes peeled open. We need to take them out silently and quick so they won't be able to retaliate. The guy earlier burned somebody to ash so watch out. We also need to secure any villagers left in there", Mark said.

"Roger that", his men replied.

The ranger team then proceeded to the village stealthily so as not to get spotted as they approach the village. They eventually reached the village without any problem. Also, their goggles have its night vision ability turned on allowing them to see in the dark.

"5 hostiles detected", Kenneth said as he saw 4 men wearing medieval-era knight armor and the last one wearing the same fancy wizard clothes like the guy earlier.

"Men, prepare your suppressors", Mark ordered, "And shoot the bastards square in the head."

The rangers then put silencers on their guns that they are going to use for the kill. Mark, James and Henry put their suppressors on their M16A4s while Kenneth drew out his Mk 23 handgun and attached the suppressor for it. Michael just waited for the others to get ready as his SR-25 already has a suppressor attached to it.

All five rangers zeroed in on their respective targets with Michael ordered to take the shot on the fancy wizard clothes-wearing target. As soon as they are sure they are all going to claim a headshot, all five of them fired at once causing all five targets to simply fall dead without a noise.

Mark ordered his men to advance using a hand gesture and the ranger team immediately moved to where their 5 targets stood initially. The rangers then hauled the dead bodies on a nearby cart and hid it to prevent the other targets in the village from realizing that they are under attack.

The ranger team then continued on the way searching for more targets to butcher. As they walk around the village, they saw houses that looked like weapon forges of medieval European-era design. Kenneth walked into one of the forges with Mark's permission and the rest of the ranger team providing covering fire if needed be. Much to Kenneth's surprise, the forges contain long swords, steel shields, armors, and even muskets. The last item delighted Kenneth, being a gun nut, as the muskets resembled the antique Discovery-era muskets that he would like to collect. Kenneth returned to the team stating that the area is clear.

The team then moved on.

"Listen up, if any of you saw those fancy clothes wearing bastards, always hit their hand that they use to hold their wands", Mark said, "Is that understood."

"Yes captain", Mark's men said in unison.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at one of the houses in the village…**

**XXXX (Night Time)**

A man in knight armor is inside a room with blood splattered everywhere.

"Hah!", the man in knight armor said, "This is what you fools will get for disobeying my lord's orders."

The man in knight armor then pointed his sword that looks like a rapier on a woman of 19 years of age badly beaten and bloodied lying on the ground. There are two more additional men also wielding the same sword as the man in knight armor and just watched with smirks on their faces as the event transpired.

The woman has closed her eyes in resignation of her impending death.

Just as the man in knight armor is about to land the sword on the woman, a bullet coming from an M16A4 pierced his head. He fell on the floor instantly. His two comrades were alarmed by what happened to their comrade but they were also brutally shot in the head before they can even unsheathe their swords. They fell on the floor with their heads gushing out blood along the way.

The woman expected herself to hear the sound of a sword biting deeply in her flesh but the blow never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw five men in strange armor and clothing wielding black muskets far different from what she saw in her entire life and their eyes are concealed by what seems to be tinted glasses albeit larger. The men in question also have enormous backpacks attached to their backs and round steel helmets unusual for any soldier that she saw. She also noticed that the men that are supposed to kill her are lying on the floor with a growing pool of blood soaking their now-torn heads. Obviously, the cause of their deaths is bullets from muskets but she never heard any sound of a musket being fired.

"Don't worry, your safe now", James said to the now-rescued woman, "Michael, help me patch her up."

The woman, now confused at the sudden turn of events, saw another of the strange men came closer to her carrying what seem to be medical supplies like bandage and a bottle containing unknown substance.

The man in strange clothes then spilled the contents of his bottle on her wounds and it somehow felt painful but, as it went on, it became cooler to the point that it is now cool as the night breeze. Once that is done, the man then wrapped up her wounds in bandage preventing more bleeding from happening.

"Don't worry we'll come back", James said, "We're going to clear them out."

With that, the woman saw as the five men that rescued her left the house and went on. She can't do anything but hope that they will survive so she can thank them.

* * *

**Outside the house…**

**XXXX (Night Time)**

"Captain, is it alright to leave the woman unattended?", Henry asked.

"That's not a problem Henry, she's now safe. I'm sure none of them will come back as they are likely busy doing things similar to that", Mark said, "Those bastards' buddies are lurking somewhere around busy fucking women up with their tits as I speak. We need to stop them."

James made an angry face and said "These bastards!"

"Calm down Lieutenant", Mark said, "We can easily mop them up. They have even lower tech than the GLA so this is just a walk in the park. Anyways, we'll have to eliminate them before they wipe everyone out of this village."

After calming down James, Mark noticed Michael who is staring at the sky with a shocked look on his face.

"Is there any problem Private?", Mark asked.

Michael didn't say anything except he pointed his finger up in the sky prompting Mark and the other rangers to look up as well.

Up in the sky, the ranger team saw two moons: one is red and small while the other is blue and big. The positioning of the stars is also not in their supposed places according to their knowledge.

"What the hell?", Henry said, "There are two moons?"

"The stars are positioned differently too", Kenneth added.

"Calm down men", Mark said, "We're going to figure out what's going on once we stopped this massacre.

With that, the ranger team started moving.

After a few minutes of walking, the ranger team eventually reached a place which appears to be the village's plaza.

In here, the team saw the three dragons that both Mark and James saw through the binoculars earlier. The dragons' appearance made the rangers freeze in their feet but they eventually regained their focus as they saw the man wearing fancy wizard clothes earlier also in the area as well as 3 more men in knight armor. They hid behind the walls overlooking the plaza so as not to get spotted. A surprise attack is the best possible option in this scenario.

"Wow!", Michael exclaimed, "I never expected in my life that I'm going to see dragons. Too bad they're on the opposing side. Captain, do you want them… headless?"

"Bring it on Private", Mark replied, "Kenneth prepare to fire on full-auto at my mark and target the knight-armor wearing targets. Michael, sink a hot lead in the head on that wand-wielding bastard. James and Henry, fire M203 rounds at the dragons the moment I throw a flash bang which will be my mark. There aren't any hard covers for them so taking them out will be easier. Every one prepare now."

The five-man ranger team prepared as Mark instructed. It only took a few moments for the team to prepare.

Mark used all his arm strength to hurl the grenade towards the group of unsuspecting targets and after a few minutes… all hell broke loose.

The flash bang grenade exploded in an insanely loud noise and illuminated the area with a blinding light causing the targets to cover their eyes and ears including the dragons who just growled in due to the noise and light. The rangers are unaffected due to the nature of the goggles capable of deflecting unnecessary light as well as being out of range of the flash bang.

Kenneth let out a stream of bullets towards the group of men in knight armor. The men instantly fell dead with bullet holes in their armor. Michael hit the man wearing fancy clothes straight in the head and caused the target to fell on the floor with blood gushing out of the target's head. The M203 grenades hit their mark causing two of the three dragons to go down with their faces incarcerated by the rifle grenades' explosion. The third dragon is about to breath a stream of fire at the direction of where the attack came from but another rifle grenade hit the third dragon in the nose and it exploded killing the last dragon in the same fashion as the first two. The rifle grenade that killed the last dragon came from Mark.

"All targets eliminated", Mark said, "Men, hold your fire."

The ranger team then went out of their hiding spots and approached the now dead targets with their pointer fingers on their guns' triggers so they can shoot down any enemy that suddenly shows up.

Once they are in range of their now-dead targets, Henry immediately scanned the bodies especially the dragons to ensure that they are really dead.

"Captain, all clear", Henry said as Mark nodded at him.

Suddenly, a large number of people appeared from the houses overlooking the plaza. Their large numbers caused Michael and Henry to take aim but Mark ordered them to stand down with an open hand gesture raised up.

As Mark expected, it's the townspeople inhabiting the village and they have shocked look on their faces.

"Men, it's now time to know where the hell are we", Mark said and the rangers know what he meant.

* * *

**At the village a few hours later…**

**0710 Hours…**

"I see", Mark said, "We're currently in Albion known as the floating country and there are also the nations of Tristain, Germania, Gallia, and Romalia on the mainland continent of Halkeginia. That's the summary."

"Yes, it is good to see that strangers like you and your men are able to cope up with this", a village elder with a thick white beard said, "But I should thank you and your friends from saving us from Reconquista's soldiers."

"Reconquista?", Mark asked.

"They are a group of nobles that have successfully overthrown and killed the Royal Family. They are currently in control of the country. Their main agenda is to unite all countries in a fight against the elves or that is what people say."

"_Great. We're really in a fucked up fairy tale confirmed twice. And what's with this Reconquista? From the looks of it they sound like the Spanish Reconquista that I read in history books but this Reconquista appears to be made up of a bunch of self-serving assholes. Burning down villages with no reason? Boy I should commend the Spanish Reconquista from not being as bad as this",_ Mark thought to himself, _"And elves? Guess there's lots of other stuff in this land."_

"Then why are these guys attacking this village?", Mark asked.

The village elder just shook his head.

"Apparently, they don't have any reason to do it", the village elder said, "This is just one of their usual routines of exploiting us and the nobles commanding them don't even know that they are here."

Mark noticed that the village elder is seething with anger as he explained.

"How long are these guys doing this?", Mark asked.

James clenched his fist on the grip of his M16A4 as he wait the village elder to answer.

"T-They've been doing this ever since the fall of the Royal Family these last few months", the village elder said.

"_Fuck those assholes!"_, James thought to himself.

"I understand", Mark replied, "Do you guys made any effort to fight them off?"

The village elder shook his head.

"We didn't", the village elder replied in resignation, "We don't have any magic so-"

The village elder was cut off by Michael.

"Sorry to interrupt but you're saying that these pansies are really that tough?", Michael interjected, "I've taken one of them out without breaking a sweat and you're saying that old man?"

The village elder was in a wide-eyed stare at Michael.

"What do you mean?", the village elder asked.

"Look, I just blasted a hole in one of those pansies a while ago and he they simply fell dead", Michael said, "How difficult is that?"

The village elder didn't answer back.

Before any could say a word, Henry saw the woman that they saved from being killed a few hours ago is slowly approaching them.

"Cecilia!", the village elder shouted as he made a run for the girl who is obviously going to stumble on the ground thanks to the wounds on her.

The village elder was just in time to catch Cecila from falling on the ground.

Mark approached the village elder and asked him.

"Is that your grand daughter?", Mark asked.

"Yes", the village elder said, "How did you know?"

"It's easy", Mark replied, "Just looking at you and your granddaughter as well as how you act makes it pretty obvious."

"I see", the village elder replied, "Before I forgot, I am William, the village elder of this village, and you are in the village of Rodiz, a village producing weapons for the Albion crown."

"I see", Mark replied, "This makes everything a lot easier."

"What do you mean?", the village elder asked.

"Can I ask you something?", Mark asked, "If you are given a fighting chance, will you fight?"

"H-Huh?", the village elder said, "What are you talking about?"

Mark paused for a few moments before speaking.

"I'm suggesting that we incite a revolution to overthrow these bastards off their chairs", Mark said, "How does that sound?"

"No… That's impossible", the village elder replied, "You ca-"

"Fair enough, you won't know that it's possible if you just let yourself sit up here while those bastards claim everything", Mark explained, "Can't you see that they are slowly killing you and everyone… and including those in the other villages? If you fight, you may die but at least you defended your life than get killed without a fight."

"I understand", the village elder said, "But can you motivate the people?"

The village elder is referring to the people of Rodiz who just watched the conversation transpire.

Seeing the village elder's concern, Mark turned around and walked towards the people of Rodiz. He then spoke up to them in a calm tone. The following is what he said:

"_I know that all of you here are devastated by the crimes that have befallen on your village thanks to the tyrannical assholes currently in charge of this country. Through that, I'm sure that some of you here lost a loved one or somebody important to you. Can you simply let this injustice continue or will you grab a weapon and fight for your freedom and rights? I know that once you fight, there's a chance that you might not come back alive. However, your sacrifice will ensure a peaceful and free society for your sons, daughters and grand children. And you can also face your own parents saying that you died protecting those you valued the most. There's no shame in that. The shame lies on the nobles who take advantage of you, your loved ones, your properties, and even your souls all through your life. These bastards profit through your own cowardice but even that has its own limits. This injustice has to stop. Everyone, we must band together and put an end to this evil. This is the evil made flesh. By fighting this evil, we shall reclaim our lost freedom, dignity and rights."_

As soon as Mark finished his little speech, only shocked stares are what he got from the people. After a few moments, one person started yelling in agreement with him then another one then another person until the entire crowd yelled in agreement. The once pessimism and fear in the eyes of the people are now replaced by determination, fervor, and will to fight. This sight is quite familiar to Mark and even to the other rangers in his team. People in liberated areas that used to be under the GLA's hold tend to have looks of fear in their eyes and he understands it. However, in this case, he didn't expect a tragedy-devastated people to have so much enthusiasm.

As the crowd is yelling in unison with lines "FREEDOM! FREEDOM FREEDOM!", Mark turned to the people and said "Since you all here are going on the battlefield, I and my men will teach you on the ways of warfare far superior than what the assholes have in their sleeves. Expect a great deal of training within two hours", Mark said as the rangers in his team stepped forward to allow the people to see them.

"To all black smiths, you are to man the weapon forges and start pumping up weapons particularly muskets. My man, Kenneth will assist you in creating more powerful versions of the muskets called rifles", Mark said

Mark knows Kenneth's unusual expertise in various weaponry to the point where he's capable of crafting WWII-era bolt-action rifles provided that he has the resources to do the job. In this case, his expertise will be a lot of help.

At the same time, several men nodded at Mark's order implying that they are black smiths.

"Alright men, let's go to the weapon forges", Kenneth said, 'Captain, I'll leave for now."

Mark nodded and Kenneth left along with the black smiths.

The village elder then asked.

'What are we going to name this armed group then?", the village elder asked.

Mark pondered his head before making a reply.

"We shall name this group as the Albion Liberation Corps", Mark said.

With that, a war of liberation is well under way… destined to change the history of Halkeginia… _forever_.

_-TURN 1 END-_

* * *

**PS: I came up with the name of Albion Liberation Corps from the Aurelian Liberation Corps featured in Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception. It's one of my favorite games by the way but I'm currently playing Ace Combat X****2****: Joint Assault. Contrary to their namesake, the Albion Liberation Corps will be a highly trained resistance force thanks to the training they will receive from the rangers. I don't own any of the Ace Combat games by the way. All credits go to its respective owner.**

**I won't be posting the ammunition counts of the Ranger team as the weapons, and their ammunition, will be reproduced later on including the grenades and C4 but it would be a bit crude for now . The village of Rodiz is one of the few villages responsible for building weapons for Albion's military. More information will be revealed about the village of Rodiz in the next chapter.**

**Currently, I have a week of vacation from college work so I can upload at least 2 chapters in this time period compared to when a new term for college starts.**

**Also, the chapters will be named as "Turn" to give them a unique approach.**


	3. Turn 2: Arm the Mob

**Author's Notes: I named this chapter on its namesake "Arm the Mob", a GLA upgrade that arms Angry Mobs with AK-47s because the "mob" will be armed with rifles. This title fits this chapter isn't it?**

**For Robo Reader 21, the rangers already have an infrastructure to create rifles and other weapons as the village of Rodiz is a weapon-producing village of Albion. As such, the black smiths in this place are good at crafting weapons. By the way, the village of Rodiz also has an abundant supply of metals and hardwood that can be melted and forged as rifles and other guns so don't ask why the Albion Liberation Corps can produce a large number of weaponry. A little spoiler: more villages and towns will join the ALC's banner later on. Also, each of the ranger's profile will develop as the story progress little by little.**

**Jouaint, it depends on whether one of those world gate portals suck in another USA military group randomly thanks to Brimir's spell.**

**For all the readers that have taken time to read this story, thanks!**

**This is a long chapter by the way.**

**Anyway, enjoy reading Turn 2!**

* * *

**========== Turn 2: Arm the Mob ==========**

_"Few men are brave by nature, but good order and experience make many so. Good order and discipline in many armies are to be depended upon than courage alone."  
__- Niccolo Machiavelli_

**At the village of Rodiz…**

**0920 Hours…**

The village of Rodiz… A village situated on grassy plains. Rich in iron needed in the manufacture of weapons like swords, shields and armors. The village also has a sizeable supply of premium-quality hardwood as it is situated near a forest clearing which is needed in crafting muskets. The village itself is 600 kilometers away from Londonium, Albion's capital. This village supplies weapons to the Albion crown which means this village is crucial to every war effort of Albion and the same applies to the other villages that do the same.

Currently, the village of Rodiz is currently brimming with activity. Villagers are busy repairing houses and other buildings that caught fire last night. The villagers are really grateful to the group of men calling themselves as Rangers. If not for them, they will be… whatever. The villagers don't really want to know what will happen to them if the Rangers didn't help.

"Give me a hand over here", a villager said as he signaled another villager to help him lift up a slab of wood to be used in repairing the roof of a house.

The villager being asked approached the villager requesting help and they both carried the slab of wood towards the house that needs its roof repaired.

All over Rodiz, buildings and other structures suffered varying degrees of damage ranging from unhinged doors, cracked walls, shattered windows, blasted roofs and parts of said buildings were completely destroyed. Some of the structures are even destroyed beyond repair and the villagers who happened to occupy said buildings have to build makeshift houses at the moment. Of course, the villagers are doing their best to repair their homes from the massacre that happened last night.

Also, the remains of the dragons and the Reconquista soldiers that the Ranger team killed were buried by the villagers deep underground and erased every single evidence that said group went here so, in the event that another group is sent by Reconquista, no one will find an evidence, or more proper to say, excuse for some royalists to start killing them again.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the weapon forges…**

**0930 Hours…**

The black smiths are busy crafting the new muskets that Kenneth called as rifles. The basic similarity of the muskets and rifles in terms of structural integrity is well defined and the two things that differentiate the two are the bullet being used and the latter being more complicated than the former in terms of mechanism. Muskets use metal balls as ammunition while rifles use cartridges instead. In terms of performance, the rifle trumps over muskets because the rifle's cartridge boasts higher penetration, stopping power per shot, range, accuracy, clip capacity and even probability of scoring a kill as long as the cartridge sinks into somebody's flesh.

Overall, Kenneth is amazed at how well the black smiths are able to recreate the rifles. The black smiths may look experienced but seeing these people craft weapons that they just recently saw with great efficiency amazed him. In fact, just an hour after he and the black smiths went into the weapon forges and showed them the designs of a bolt-action rifle which he knew a lot known as the M1903 Springfield rifle, the black smiths already produced more than 100 of it, enough to arm a minimum of two dozens of fire teams. Not to mention the quality of the rifles is already respectable. The rifles are chambered to use 5.56x45 mm similar to the bullets their M16A4 rifles use instead of the .30-06 Springfield cartridge that the M1903 rifle is supposed to use. Even the cartridges that the black smiths created for the rifles are also reliable. To Kenneth's perspective, these guys would have been great weapon designers and they should be already employed by corporations like Remington Arms and Chrysler Defense if their craftsmanship skills are to be considered and if they were born on Earth, the Ranger team's own world.

Aside from it, the M1903 rifle-clones are designated as the AC-1 rifle. In every single way, the AC-1 is an improvement over the rifle it was based on. Improvements include a clip storage of 7 cartridges in a stripper clip instead of just 5 cartridges, an effective range of about 700 meters as opposed to the 600 meters of the former, well-calibrated and improved iron sights for placing headshots, a rate of fire of 16 rounds per minute, a muzzle velocity of 3000 feet per second compared to 2800 of the former and a suppressor which struck the black smiths' interest the moment Kenneth introduced it to them. It has almost the same proportions as the base rifle though.

Aside from the rifles, Kenneth also showed the black smiths the design layout of a famous World War Two-era machine gun to the blacksmiths. Actually, it is a light machine gun known as the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle.

The black smiths also managed to produce this light machine gun under the designation of ACRF-40. Just like with the rifle, it has several improvements over the machine gun it was based on such as a higher clip capacity of 40 rounds as opposed to 20 rounds, muzzle velocity of 3220 feet per second against the BAR's 2822 feet per second, rate of fire of 600-700 rounds per minute, and an effective range of 1645 meters as opposed to the BAR's 1371 meters. However, only 20 are built at the moment and are heavier thanks to the clip size of the ACRF-40. Though this is likely because this is the first time the black smiths have created a rapid firing weapon. The machine gun is chambered to use the 7.62x51mm cartridge similar to the ones that Kenneth's M240L machine gun uses. All in all, as Kenneth will put it, it's just a matter of time before the black smiths become proficient in mass producing machine guns and other rapid-firing weaponry. He also intends to have the black smiths create a recoilless rifle, a copy of the M67 Recoilless Rifle to be exact, but not for now. He wanted to ensure that the black smiths are good at creating weapons of a certain weapon type before continuing to the next.

Seeing the proficiency of the black smiths, Kenneth asked one of them.

"Guys, how long are you into this kind of business?", Kenneth asked.

One of the black smiths, looking about 37 years old if his face is to be taken into account, replied.

"We're already doing this ever since we're 16, sir", the black smith said.

"Wow", Kenneth exclaimed, "Anyways, don't call me sir. Just call me Sarge."

"We understand", the black smith said with his fellow black smiths nodding in agreement.

"Oh, how about the guys crafting the C4s doing?", Kenneth asked.

"They already learned the formula for it. Just some explosives stuffed in a box and a fuse too", another black smith said.

"I see", Kenneth said, "Alright, I'm going to see how the grenades are being done. Just keep this up. Don't forget creating copies of our knives. I'll lend you my knife so work on it."

Kenneth then handed his M9 Combat Knife to one of the black smiths who nodded after receiving his knife and, with that, Kenneth left to see what the other black smiths are doing.

* * *

**Meanwhile at the Village Plaza…**

**1000 Hours**

Mark, James, Michael and Henry along with the village elder William are in the plaza which now acted as the training grounds for the Albion Liberation Corps. The village of Rodiz is a mid-sized village comprising of about less than a thousand inhabitants. At present, the ALC is at a 200 strong men capacity. While this number is small compared to the armies that Mark expects to be several times larger than his, the ALC's size is a good start for now. So far, the men composing the ALC are doing a great progress in combat training. He doesn't need to worry of the enemy attacking for now as the hostiles that he and his team killed last night are just some loose units of the enemy and, therefore, have no contact with their HQ which could send reinforcements.

Michael is busy teaching about 100 men on marksmanship skills particularly on headshots using the new rifles that Kenneth and the black smiths have created. Much to Michael's delight, the new rifle is accurate and a lot lighter compared to his SR-25 probably because the main body of the rifle is made of hardwood while only the barrel, the lever, and the trigger are made of metal. Although it is a bolt-action rifle, Michael didn't care at all. He feels lighter when using it. The men whom he is teaching are showing signs of enthusiasm as they saw Michael blow a tin can off with only one shot since muskets are known to be horribly inaccurate. Furthermore, the rifles have seven cartridges in it meaning that the user won't need to reload every shot and they will simply need to cock the lever to fire again. What's more is that the cartridges are loaded at the back of the rifle instead in the front. The men are now eager to learn how to use the new muskets known as rifles.

"First group, line up", Michael said and 10 men formed up a line all holding the new rifles in their hands in a refined military discipline fashion.

Michael nodded signaling the men to get into firing position. The men take aim with their rifles and their targets are ceramic plates and there's a distance of 200 yards between the plates and the men.

With a hand gesture going down from Michael, the men fired their rifles. All of the plates were destroyed in the salvo and the remaining men cheered on the little success. To the men watching the new rifles, this is amazing as muskets won't be able to do this unless in sufficient numbers but that "sufficient" number is from 20 to 60 men in tight-knit formation making them a vulnerable target to artillery fire.

Henry, on the other hand, is teaching about 80 men on the basic concepts of hand-to-hand combat and several important Close Quarters Combat techniques. While they are just beginners, Henry could tell that they have a lot of potential in battle. He saw as one of the men managed to make a dent on the training dummy with a punch. Much later, he taught the men different grappling techniques just in case they managed to get right next to an enemy soldier in an encounter. Aside from that, Henry also taught the men various martial arts techniques like karate, judo, and sambo.

The training is tough just like Mark said but the men seem to ignore their tired state in training. Perhaps, they now think that this is their chance to get back at the nobles abusing them all their lives.

The remaining men are taught by James about the concepts of battlefield tactics and means of maintaining morale and cohesion on the battlefield. The men being taught by James were to form the first officers of the ALC as he, Mark, Kenneth, and Michael won't be enough to lead the group in battle.

As the training went on, William noticed a familiar figure among the group being trained by Michael. Being curious, he went closer to get a better look. Much to his shock, it was Cecilia holding one of the new rifles and she fired it.

"Wow, nice shot kid!", Michael exclaimed with a thumbs up in the air as he saw that Cecilia's aim hit the spot.

"I'm not a kid!", Cecilia yelled back.

Suddenly, Cecilia noticed that her grandfather is in front of her.

"Just what are you doing?!", William yelled.

Cecilia shook her head and tightened her grip on the rifle.

"T-They killed father and mother!", Cecilia said angrily, "This is my way to get back at them!"

William just stood where he is while James and Michael watched the event from their places.

Mark caught up with William and spoke to him.

"Listen Mr. William", Mark said, "We're going up against an enemy with a larger army so we will need every single hand available for battle. Moreover, your granddaughter is old enough to carry arms. And… those assholes will not spare your daughter on sight so I think it's better to die fighting than to die without a fight."

"But that doesn't justify this!", William retorted, War is-"

Mark then suddenly cut him off.

"War is a disrespectful business. There's no honor in it. All that is there is death. If you're referring to the code of honor that the people you call nobles established", Mark explained, "It's just a bluff. It only applies when they fight another noble. Those bastards burned down your village last night and I believe some of the people living here are killed by them as well. Now, where's honor in that?"

William didn't talk. He just stood there and said nothing. After a moment of pause, he finally said.

"I-I concede", William said.

With that, William left for a nearby hut and Mark then turned his attention to Cecilia

"Are you really sure about fighting?", Mark asked.

"Yes", Cecilia said without hesitating.

Mark could see in Cecilia's eyes a sense of burning determination and will to fight which is something that he only sees in the bravest soldiers he met. She may have wounds and black marks around her but her resolve seem to make it look like nothing. It's even a wonder that she can still land a hit with the rifle despite her current body state.

"Good", Mark said, "Then go back on training but don't push yourself too hard. It's already enough for now that you gain proficiency in landing a shot. I already told Michael that you are to be given rest after you finished training just in case you decided to join."

"Yes", Cecilia said, "And thank you for saving me back then."

Mark watched as Cecilia nodded and returned to the group being taught by Michael who then resumed the training.

As Mark watched Cecilia walking towards Michael's group, James came up to him.

"Captain, are we going to become some CIA Special Activities Division paramilitary operatives?", James asked.

"Not quite", Mark said, "But it's going to be… interesting. It's a shame we won't be having the support of the US government this time though."

James chuckled at Mark's answer.

"Anyway, let's go back training these guys", Mark said.

James then went back to the group he is teaching while Mark went for the groups that Henry and Michael are teaching all of which are in a rectangular formation.

"Listen up", Mark said in a stern military tone, "I want all of you trained up both in using rifles and in hand-to-hand combat so Michael and Henry will be switching places to train all of you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, commander!", the men said in unison and saluted Mark as they responded.

Mark is amazed by how firm the men called him "commander". He can see both Henry and Michael having smirks on their faces implying a "Nice" message.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the weapon forges…**

**1100 Hours…**

"Now this is good", Kenneth exclaimed as he inspected the details of a recently manufactured hand grenade now designated as the M68 hand grenade.

Currently, Kenneth is examining the quality of the first batch of grenades that the black smiths have created. So far, the results are good. Suddenly, Kenneth's attention locked on a pile of explosives that he knew very well…

"Whoa!", Kenneth exclaimed in excitement, "Now, this is the real deal."

Kenneth then approached the pile that struck his fancy which is a pile of C4 explosives that he has the black smiths work on. To his delight, he noticed that the C4 charges that the black smiths made conform to his standards although the exterior seems rougher but it doesn't matter to him. These C4 explosives are good at breeching locked or fortified doors while clusters of them make for an excellent bomb trap on roads against passing enemy convoys.

As Kenneth is inspecting the explosives, a black smith came up to him notifying him of a development.

"We just finished making the rifle grenades for your own rifles based on one of the ordinance you gave us. They are ready to be used anytime", the black smith said.

"Thanks", Kenneth said, "Once we finished this, I intend to make a rifle grenade for the bolt-action rifles. I want you and the others to prepare for it."

"Understood", the black smith replied.

Suddenly, a man came in and notified Kenneth of something.

"The commander says that an assault on an outlying outpost base will be carried out at midnight. He wants all of the weapons prepared for battle", the man said.

"Commander?", Kenneth frowned.

"Uhm… he's the guy who's leading your group when you saved our village", the man replied.

"Oh I see", Kenneth exclaimed.

"_Mark as a commander huh?"_, Kenneth thought, _"Oh well, the guy has the skills."_

"I understand, all the weapons are ready for battle. Tell him that they can be used anytime now", Kenneth replied.

"Roger", the man replied with a salute.

"_Wow, he even managed to instill standard military protocols already"_, Kenneth thought on noticing how the man replied to him, _"All that's left is a cool uniform."_

Kenneth went towards the window to look at what's going on.

Outside, he saw the men arrayed in a rectangular formation and Mark seems to be debriefing them of something while Henry, Michael and James are behind him a few steps distance away.

"Cool, now we have an army", Kenneth said.

After Kenneth saw the formation, he immediately went back to the black smiths to guide further development.

Back at Mark, he now went up to William and asked him for any information regarding the culture of the countries and how things work in Halkeginia.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at an Albion Imperial Army Outpost…**

**70 miles away from Rodiz…**

**1600 Hours… **

A soldier clad in simple plate armor emblazoned in Albion Imperial Army colors and armed with a spear is standing guard on a watch tower.

Things have been a lot quiet these past few days ever since Prince Wales has been killed. With the Royal Family gone, the new revolutionary government headed by the newly-crowned Emperor Cromwell took control of the entire country. Since then, the military is getting a lot of funds from the revolutionary government and military recruitment has gone in bulk with thousands of men pressed for military service either as foot soldiers or sailors that will man the ships of the Albion Imperial Navy. So far, the first phase of Reconquista's plan is a success: Take over Albion. And right now, the second phase is slowly setting in without any problems.

The soldier sighed. All that he can see at the horizon from the watch tower is an empty green grassy plain and nothing else. Well, except for the Albion army convoys and patrols on an expected time interval.

Suddenly, somebody called him.

"Hey, get down here!", a soldier below yelled at him, "Shift's time in!"

With that, the soldier gets down from the watch tower only for his comrade to replace him there on a shift-to-shift basis. Either way, he's going to man another part of the outpost probably the main gate or the armory. It doesn't matter at all as the atmosphere is downright boring. But at least, he gets paid without getting his ass handed over to him. But the pay is lacking though.

As the soldier goes down to replace a fellow soldier in keeping a lookout on the gate, several carts are seen heading towards the outpost. When the carts made it to the outpost, it was from the village of Rodiz and the villagers in the cart is simply giving them supplies to be used in battle as scheduled.

* * *

**Several hours later at the Albion Imperial Army Outpost…**

**2400 Hours…**

It was already night. The two moons in the sky glow with perfect brilliance like every other night. The valley overlooking the outpost is quiet at night… except for some footsteps that appears to be heading straight for the direction of the outpost.

In reality, a force of 200 men is stealthily advancing on the outpost with Mark and his Ranger team leading this force. Mark especially selected carrying out this operation at night time to reduce the risk of being spotted as they head for the outpost by Reconquista's patrol units. The sight of a company-sized group armed with rifles and swords is more than enough to trigger the enemy to respond.

There is no need to worry about Rodiz. Right now, the village of Rodiz is seen by the Reconquista government as nothing but a weapon-producing village crucial to their war effort. Consequently, they would not deploy a military force to level the village. It would be a foolish idea to attack a village that provides a benefit to self after all. Also, the Reconquista soldiers that attacked the village last night were nothing but a bunch of loose cannons which means that Reconquista isn't alerted even said soldiers were killed since there is no communication between them.

Currently, the area around the outpost is surrounded by thick foliage which combined with the darkness of the night and the "uniform" of the ALC troopers which is any dark-colored clothes made a very effective camouflage. Mark personally ordered the men to dress themselves this way. He and the rangers are wearing their standard ranger uniform in this operation. The ALC troopers themselves are armed with the newly built AC-1 rifles and ACRF-40 machine guns as well as swords for melee combat later on. As the ALC closes in to the outpost, they noticed that the outpost is lightly guarded. The watch towers may have soldiers positioned there but they seem to be asleep if their position of couching on a chair is to be considered. But this is quite expected as the outpost never received any reports of any impending attacks prior to the ALC's upcoming assault.

As they are within firing distance of the outpost's walls, Mark ordered 20 of the men with James in command to go to the other side of the outpost and plant C4 charges. The men under James command are armed with AC-1 rifles and some ACRF-40 machine guns. According to an Intel report that Mark received three hours before from the informants he sent earlier which are just villagers that have the lucky excuse of bringing in supplies to get inside the outpost, the barracks housing the soldiers defending the outpost are situated at the back of the outpost. By planting the C4s at the back, the resulting explosion will suffice to take them out in a single blow or reduce them to a state where they can't fight due to their injuries. Each C4 alone isn't enough to do that sort of damage because of the walls' thickness but the large amount of C4s to be detonated at once will do the job. Another job that James' group has to do is to commence an attack in the rear of the outpost at the same time Henry's group storms the front. Overall, the plan is to sandwich the enemy between an attack from the front and back.

As James' group is getting into position, Mark ordered Henry's group consisting of 60 men to position themselves on the walls of the outpost. The men accompanying Henry are armed with swords, AC-1 rifles and 12 of the men are armed with ACRF-40 light machine guns. The job of Henry's group is to storm the front of the outpost and take control of the area as fast as possible once the right time comes. The rapid-firing ACRF-40s will take care of the mages, if there are any, inside the outpost.

Meanwhile, Michael and about 50 men have positioned themselves in an elevated area overlooking the outpost. Their job is to provide lookout by shooting down any enemy air units providing cover for the outpost and sniping any enemy positioned at the watch towers once the assault commences. Michael is armed with his SR-25 while the ALC troopers accompanying him are armed with an AC-1 rifle but with a scope for sniping.

The rest of the men not included in any of the groups stayed with Mark and Kenneth who are armed with their default weapons. The same goes for the three other rangers. Their main task it to move in should Henry's group encounter problems pushing forward.

After several minutes of preparation, James' group have planted the C4s in tight clusters on the walls of the outpost at the rear and told Mark that they are ready over the radio.

"[COMMS] Alright, detonate the C4s", Mark ordered through the radio.

James complied and, in the next second, the walls at the back of the outpost exploded leaving a large gaping hole. As Mark calculated it, many of the soldiers are inside the barracks located next to the wall the moment James' team detonated the C4s and the resulting explosion killed many of the soldiers. The few lucky soldiers that survived the blast were bleeding badly. Some already lost an arm while others lie on the floor bathing in their own pool of blood. James' group then charged in firing at the enemy with their rifles as they moved forward. The ALC troopers may be armed with bolt-action rifles but the training earlier allowed them to fire at an enemy and reload as fast as possible decreasing the time they are vulnerable to attack. Furthermore, the ALC troopers armed with the machine guns are providing suppressive fire allowing the rifle-armed troopers with more time to reload. The same also applies to Henry's and Michael's groups except Michael's group have no machine gunners due to their sniping role.

At the same time, Henry's group breeched the door with a few C4 charges and stormed the front of the outpost in coordination with James' assault. The door was blown away and the unlucky soldiers who happened to be right next to the door where flattened on the ground when the door fell over them. Pandemonium broke loose as the ALC troopers opened fire at any Albion imperial soldier on sight. There are also mages in the outpost but none of them were able to cast a single spell as bullets riddled all over their body before they can even open their mouths to chant. As one of the mages was about to fall, Henry charged at the mage and sank his combat knife straight at the mage's forehead. The result was downright brutal as blood dripped out of the mage's forehead and Henry's knife is stained in the mage's blood.

As soon as the firing stopped, the battle turned into a bloody melee. The ALC troopers at the front of the attack formation charged with swords at hand while those at the back fired their rifles and machine guns to give their comrades a greater chance of slicing the enemy down that being killed. The tactic was a success. The rifle-wielding troopers hit the enemy soldiers straight in the chest making them stop and drop on the floor allowing the sword-wielding troopers to land the killing strike. This tactic was carried out by one of the soldiers that James taught on the concepts of fireteam tactics.

At the same time, the soldiers who happened to be sleeping on the watch towers were awaken by the commotion and, upon seeing that they are under attack, they immediately raised their spears to hurl down at the attackers. However… they were not able to launch their spears as their heads suddenly exploded like tomatoes. Michael's group fired at every single soldier that revealed themselves on the watch towers and the cliff they are on provided them with the best vantage point overlooking the outpost allowing them to shoot down any target that appears in their sights. Cecilia is accompanying Michael's group and she scored 3 kills, all of which are headshots, in the sniping which impressed Michael.

"_This girl's got a lot of potential as a sniper"_, Michael thought as he observed Cecilia pull the lever to eject and load a new round from the stripper clip of her rifle.

The fighting lasted for 40 minutes.

* * *

**40 minutes later at the Albion Imperial Army Outpost…**

**0140 Hours…**

After that, the last of the outpost's soldiers have been eliminated. The rest of the enemy soldiers who were badly wounded from the C4 blast at the outpost's rear were patched up but taken into custody.

In the end, the ALC suffered only 8 wounded but no deaths on their side due to the nature of their attack while the Albion Imperial Soldiers lost almost all of their men in the outpost. More than 120 Albion soldiers died in the assault while about 20 were captured but badly wounded.

Mark is seen at the front of the outpost's gate along with a few ALC troopers. Suddenly, an ALC trooper came up to him.

"Commander, awaiting orders", an ALC trooper said to Mark as he approached the captain.

"I want all evidence of the fight cleaned up", Mark ordered, "I want the bullet holes filled up to prevent the enemy from discovering an attack. I want this outpost to look that it was deserted. Relay this to Sergeant Kenneth."

"Yes, commander", the ALC trooper said as he saluted and went away.

Mark looked at the ALC trooper he just ordered race towards Kenneth to relay his order to him. When the ALC trooper reached Kenneth, he immediately told Kenneth of Mark's orders. Kenneth complies and he together with the troopers around him moved into the outpost and started cleaning it up although they would make it look like it was deserted.

Mark then turned to one of his men and gave each an order. The order is for each man to notify Henry, Michael, and James to regroup and leave the area before the dawn sets in. Mark wants to leave the area before any Albion Imperial Army patrol spotted them which will prove to be troublesome. He also ordered for the wounded to be patched up as soon as possible.

Ten minutes later…

Kenneth and the ALC troopers accompanying him exited the outpost after clearing the last traces of the battle. In fact, the outpost didn't even look like it was attacked after all but they ransacked the supplies in the outpost to give the impression that the Albion Imperial Soldiers stationed there looted everywhere before going AWOL. The gaping hole cannot be remedied so they simply made it look like it was rammed by placing the battering rams found in the outpost beside the hole although they made it face the hole from the inside and have it rammed on the edges of the hole so they will appear as used to eliminate suspicion. Stealth is the key here.

Once everything is settled, the ALC left the area in perfect order before the sun set in the horizon.

_-TURN 2 END-_

* * *

**PS:**

**Current Arsenal of the Albion Liberation Corps (ALC):**

**AC-1 rifle* = Albion Corps Model 1 Bolt-Action Rifle – Standard Infantry Rifle.**

**ACRF-40 machine gun = Albion Corps Rapid Fire Model 40 Machine Gun – Squad-Automatic Weapon.**

**C4 Charges = Composition 4 = General-purpose ordnance useful in breaching and bomb traps.**

**M68 Hand Grenade = standard grenade of the Albion Liberation Corps.**

***Equipped with a silencer. Please remember that Kenneth is a certified gun nut so attaching the bolt-action rifle with a suppressor became possible.**

**Swords and the ACBK-1 (Albion Corps Battle Knife Model 1) for melee and CQC situations.**

**^More weaponry coming up later…**

**Also, the Remington Arms mentioned here refers to the ****Remington Arms Company, Inc., a weapons manufacturer in the US while Chrysler Defense refers to the subsidiary of Chrysler that made the blueprints for the M1 Abrams, the US Military's Main Battle Tank. For additional information, Chrysler Defense is now known as the General Dynamics Land Systems after Chrysler sold the subsidiary to General Dynamics for about US$348.5 millions.**

**I based Cecilia from Cecilia Alcott, one of the girls in Infinite Stratos. Cecilia excels in sniping and this is where I came up with Cecilia in this fanfic. She's also 19 years old and has blue eyes as well as a blemished almond colored hair. She's a bit taller than Montmorency as well and her hair extends up to her neck..**

**By the way, the Albion Imperial Soldiers stationed in the outpost are only wearing thin plate armor allowing the 5.56x45 mm and 7.62x51 mm cartridges to easily get through them and not to mention that the cartridges are fired in less than 200 yards from the targets (this will give more than enough kinetic energy to let the bullets pierce the already think armor). The mages aren't wearing any sort of armor making them vulnerable to anything and I'm sure that's pretty obvious. **

**For everybody's information, the "CIA Special Activities Division paramilitary operatives" that James said refers to the group responsible for covert military actions that the US partakes (to achieve an unusually high sensitive goal) but have no wish to overtly associate with. This includes assassinations, espionage, infiltration and even sabotage. I include the CIA in this fanfic as there are units in the C&C Generals called "CIA agents" (It's a shame they appear only in the campaigns as three units and are non-buildable in the barracks).**

**AWOL stands for Absence With Out Leave.**

**Before I forgot, Saito and company won't be appearing anytime soon. The next chapters will focus on the ALC as they gain ground against Reconquista. I can't say when they will appear but I can guarantee that they will eventually appear.**

**This is also my first time writing a battle-oriented chapter so I'm sorry if there are parts in the fight scenes that doesn't make any sense that you noticed. I managed to write a long chapter like this because I have a lot of time for now and since I'm motivated to write.**

**Off-story Notes: The next chapters for my other two fanfics are also being written at the moment. Please be patient while waiting for the chapters of my two other fanfics.**


	4. Turn 3: Sizing Up

**Author's Notes: Whew, new chapter! Before I forgot, I will also add another element that brings more realism to this story: The common soldier's POV. I came up with this because I noted for a fact that wars are fought by soldiers of both sides of a conflict. The commanding officers, specifically the generals and even the commander-in-chief, are just starters of war while the soldiers are the ones that duke it out on the battlefield and decide the outcome. Without soldiers, there is no war. Consequently, the story will not simply focus on the POV of the OC rangers, their OC allies, the royalists commanders like Henrietta and Mazarin, and even Saito & co. . The simple soldiers who risk their necks on the battlefield will also get their screen time. This includes the POV of enemy soldiers as well. So expect some chapters told from the perspectives of simple rank-and-file soldiers as the story progress. I also came up with this as I noticed that many military-themed anime like Gundam Seed just tend to rest on the perspective of the main characters and nothing else. I just thought that it isn't fair at all. Their stories can be considered as one shots inside this story and they will also have names. However, their stories will be told in relation to the situation of the story at the time prior to their chapter they appear in.**

**By the way, while I was writing up this chapter, I was looking for various weaponry that looks simple enough to build (by just looking how simple their design looks on the outside) since I would introduce them later in the story. Crossbows will be used by the Albion Liberation Corps later on in the story as they are simply bows that boasts accuracy, range, and piercing power than the usual bow. Up to now, most of the weapons I am going to introduce by having the rangers give the blue prints to the Albion black smiths are of American design. I don't know why I came up with this. Anyways, do also expect to see some kick-ass Russian military hardware later on.**

**Also, the Rangers already knew magic given the fact that they saw how a mage roasted an unlucky fellow during their first-time arrival in Rodiz as well as William's explanation which was time-skipped.**

**Anyways, on with the story!**

* * *

**========== Turn 3: Sizing Up ==========**

_"What makes a regiment of soldiers a more noble object of view than the same mass of mob? Their arms, their dresses, their banners, and the art and artificial symmetry of their position and movements."  
__- Lord Byron (1788-1824)_

_"An Army is still a crowd, though a highly organized one. It is governed by the same laws, and under the stress of war is ever tending to revert to its crowd form. Our object in peace is so to train it that the reversion will become very slow"  
__- Major-General J.F.C Fuller, "Training soldiers for war" 1914_

**At an unpaved road…**

**60 km away from the recently attacked Albion Imperial Army Outpost…**

**0340 Hours…**

The men of the Albion Liberation Corps are on the hurry after carrying out their first successful assault. Clearly, most of the men are tired due to the training the other day and the assault earlier. Either way, they are thankful as the assault went smoothly. True, they have wounded as casualties but no deaths. A single wounded soldier is only half as bad as one dead soldier anyways. Regardless, they are on alert as they also brought along with them enemy soldiers who have been incapacitated in the recent assault but still alive. There are 22 enemy soldiers captured and, thankfully, all of them are not mages. The mages inside the outpost were killed by ACRF-40 machine gun fire and not a single managed to flee or survive during the assault. The former outcome will be a lot of trouble as it will likely alert Reconquista on the existence of such a rebel group if even one mage escaped the outpost back then. Either way, this battle proved the effectiveness of rapid-firing weaponry as mages take time to cast and are immobile as they chant their spells leaving them open to attack. This makes the ACRF-40 machinegun a very useful mage-killing weapon and, as such, will be a true asset during future assaults.

Men, double time!", Mark barked the order, "We need to get back to Rodiz before the sun really sets in high!"

"Yes, Commander", the men yelled in unison.

The men complied as they run much faster and, amusingly; they looked like marching due to the synchronized movement of their feet clasping the ground as they run. One could say that this is the running version of a march. It's a good thing that the main body of the AC-1 rifles is made of hardwood as it made the rifle light allowing the soldiers wielding them to run faster.

At the rear of the formation…

"All men keep that up!", Michael yelled.

Currently, Michael is helping the ALC troopers at the rear of the formation dragging large trunks of wood to erase their footsteps. There's nothing wrong with footsteps except that a horde of foot marks on a marching formation will be very suspicious even to the smallest Albion Imperial Army patrol. They've been doing this for the last 60 miles ever since they left the outpost. This is a tiresome task so the men at the rear of the formation take turns in pulling the logs with each group of men comprising of about 40 soldiers and they are all alternating every 20 minutes.

* * *

**Albion Imperial Army Outpost…**

**0400 Hours…**

A large group of soldiers clad in knight armor and accompanied by some men wearing fancy clothes and carrying wands are heading in the direction of the recently attacked outpost. In the group, a man in a well-built knight armor wielding a weapon that looks like a rapier but seems to be capable of also functioning as a wand appears to be leading the group.

"How far are we to the outpost?", the supposed leader of the group asked.

"Just three miles and we'll be there, Sir Ronald", one of the soldiers beside him replied.

"Good", the leader now known as Ronald said, "As soon as we get there, I'm going to whip those dogs into good order. It is really disappointing to have such improperly trained soldiers as part of the new Albion Imperial Army."

Sir Ronald Banastre is a noble with the rank of Count affiliated with Reconquista. His intentions for joining the group of nobles who overthrew the royal family are the same as those of his peers who also joined the group: gain fame, power, and riches under a new regime. The name of 'republic' doesn't sit well with him but he simply went with Cromwell's little charade as his intentions weigh more than his preference.

But in this situation, little did he know that he would not find the men he intends to look at. As the group gets one step closer to the outpost, a very disappointing surprise awaits…

* * *

**Meanwhile, at an unknown village…**

**0500 Hours…**

Simple one-storey houses made of stone litter the simple village overlooking a pristine valley. Villagers are busy doing their daily village tasks like in every other day.

Most of the men are preoccupied in farming as they plant seedlings into the fertile soil. Life is very simple… and hard. Ever since the new government controlled by Reconquista took over, higher taxes have been enforced over the Albion population by the so called Holy Republic of Albion. Given the inhuman living conditions currently experienced in every single city in Albion, such a name is obviously an oxymoron of its true meaning.

In one of the rice fields just a few meters away from the village, the farmers are chattering over several small issues.

"We got a change of government seriously?", a farmer asked, "Blah! It's just a simple joke!"

"Yeah, they simply changed the name but they are still the same good old bastards in fancy clothes", another farmer said.

Suddenly, a third farmer approached the two upon hearing that part of their conversation.

"Quiet it down you two!", the third farmer said in a low yet tensed tone, "If they hear us we're going to get beheaded!"

"Cool down Jerry", the first farmer said, "Those suckers are likely still in the whorehouses busy doing their stuff."

The third farmer now known as Jerry sighed before he replied.

"You always don't care for the consequences of what you do Dennis do you?", he asked.

"Yeah… right", the first farmer now known as Dennis said, "Alright, Jerry and Ron, help me put these things below ground so we can rest already."

Jerry and the other farmer now known as Ron nodded as the three of them began tilling the ground with their picks, dropping the seedlings, and covering them back up.

As soon as they are all done, Dennis and his two friends began making their way for the nearest hut from the fields to rest in.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Rodiz…**

**0550 Hours…**

The ALC managed to get back at Rodiz which now acted as their base of operations before the sun is finally up in the sky. The captured soldiers were taken into the woods overlooking the village for interrogation and to juice out whatever information that can be obtained from them.

So far, the ALC is in a pinch. 200 men isn't clearly enough to take on the Reconquista head on so laying low for the time being is the best option possible. The big problem is manpower. Mark is intelligent enough that the ALC is obviously outnumbered in combat at the moment and the only chances in survival is to conduct irregular raids on enemy convoys. He can easily disguise the ALC as nothing but a simple rabble of bandits hiding in the forests although this option is cleared out since they will need a clean reputation to convince other villages and towns to side with them which will provide them with the needed numbers to enter a full-scale battle and have a chance of winning.

Currently, a handful of villagers have gone into the woods to create underground silos at Mark's command. These silos in question are as large as the entire room of a weapon forge and are actually based on the GLA tunnel network which the Ranger team have encountered many times in their tour of duty in the War against the GLA and, at times, used during their encounters with the GLA. Mark has said to the villagers especially the masons and the carpenters living in the village on the natures and characteristics of this tunnel network. Considering the simplicity of the GLA's tunnel network, as with all of their contraptions and structures, creating this kind of earthen work is downright easy for the village's masons and carpenters. Unlike the GLA tunnel, however, this isn't actually a network of tunnels. Instead, the silos act as storage for the weapons being created for the ALC as well as the manufacturing equipment. Consequently, the production of AC-1 rifles and ACRF-40 machine guns has been stopped for the moment. Production of these weapons and its ammunition will resume within the confines of these silos and a thoroughly designed heat vent is also built with the silo so as to let the heat from the underground forge out. Production of weapons that the village has been producing like the muskets, swords, armors and shields will still be carried out in the village's weapon forges. The combination of the natural camo netting provided by the forest as well as the underground nature of the silos makes it impossible to be discovered. Heck, Mark can bet that the Reconquista won't even think that such a thing exists underground of a forest. While Mark is the one that introduced this new type of structure to the people of Rodiz, it is Kenneth that is currently supervising the construction of these underground silos.

Currently, Mark is inside William's house and he is having a conversation with the elder.

"We really are going to revolt against Reconquista…", William said, "I hope the founder will not cast his judgment at us."

"Mr. William, it is human nature and action that decides his fate not somebody that decided to play god", Mark replied, "You said that this founder guy the one that created this whole noble system right?"

"Then I'm going to say he's a big motherfucking asshole", Mark added, "Creating a so-called holy system of governance that tolerates killing and stepping on innocent civilians for just liking it? What kind of joke is this anyways? I would love to sink a blade down his dick!"

William can't answer or refute Mark in any way. He is right. For his entire life, William simply left a blind eye over the injustices and even atrocities committed by the nobles who also say that their actions are in line with the founder's will. He just simply watched as the system left by the founder destroyed everything he cared the most. His inaction and cowardice cost him his family… and even his own friends and comrades. He watched as his close friends, children and wife got hanged by the same nobles who run the country. He doesn't have anything else left to lose… only his miserable and shameful life that is the result of all those years running away in fear. He's now nothing but an old man who failed everything he has. He is ashamed of himself as his own granddaughter even has the courage to wield a gun and stand for herself while he doesn't.

Mark noticed a change of expression in William's face. What seemed to be nothing but a pessimistic-looking face is now replaced by a face expression seething in anger and hatred. However, it was quickly replaced by a calm and blank look.

"I don't know how can you do it young man", William said, "Though I'm quite surprised to see such a very open-minded and assertive lad like you. Far from me back when I was your age."

"It's just that I stand for what I believe in", Mark replied, "I won't simply stand back and watch a bastard get away for his crimes."

"Good to hear that", William said, "But I think that we need more men to tackle this."

Mark smirked at the elder's reply. He may look like an old man with a coward and pessimistic attitude but he isn't some fool. He then replied back.

"I know that but where can we find an additional source of manpower?", Mark asked.

"There's a village called Odense just about 100 kilometers away from here", William replied, "It has a population about five times the size of Rodiz since it is a village that does farming for a living. I don't know if they can be of any help in fighting as most of them are simple farmers."

"Farmers huh?", Mark frowned, "Well I'm still going to give it a try."

As Mark and William finished their conversation, they looked at the window to see the men being taught by Henry, Michael and James on combat using improvised weaponry like crossbows and bows as well as in hand-to-hand combat. So far, the ALC is progressing slowly but surely.

"Punch harder!", Henry barked as the men practice punching the dummy bags prepared for the training.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Albion Imperial Army Outpost…**

**0620 Hours…**

The group of nobles eventually reached the outpost though they found it puzzling that no one is there to greet them.

"Those fools!", Ronald yelled, "How dare they not greet me! They're informed that I'm coming here!"

Ronald let out the steam in him get out of him before issuing an order to one of the mages in his group.

"Albert, cast a levitation and wake up those fools!", Ronald ordered.

The mage that Ronald ordered now known as Albert immediately complied and he was already up in the air a few moments after Ronald's order.

As soon as Albert is in the air, only a shocked expression is visible in his place.

"What are you seeing up there?", Ronald asked.

"The place is deserted sir", Albert replied, "There's no one here!"

"WHAT!", Ronald asked with an angry tone, "What do you mean deserted?!"

"All supplies and men are gone", Albert replied, "And there's a hole at the back of the fort."

"Those dogs, I'm going to whip them once I found them!", Ronald said angrily.

Once the deserted status of the outpost has been confirmed, Ronald ordered Albert to go down and he immediately ordered his group to return to their base and report the matter. Such desertion cannot be tolerated.

Unfortunately, the true nature of this 'desertion' will never be revealed.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Palace of Londonium, seat of Reconquista's Power…**

**0900 Hours…**

Cromwell is resting on his chair and a glass of wine is resting in his right hand. It's been months ever since the old family was overthrown yet it feels as if it was just yesterday. Seems like time tends to appear slow when great things happen huh?

Regardless, the current plan is to launch an invasion of Tristain and gain control of the country. With the Albion Imperial Dragon Knights, such an invasion is possible and the only piece left is when. Currently, Tristain has become extremely wary once news of the Albion Royal Family's demise became public knowledge. They are now strengthening their coastal defenses in the event of an invasion and have even gone so far as to ally themselves with Germania for extra measure.

A big problem now on his sleeve is the presence of the Void mage and the Gandalfr within the Tristanian ranks. The power of Void is completely overwhelming. It's a complete suicide to go against it without any sort of plan. Furthermore, he lost one of his most reliable man, Viscount Jean de Wardes, during the course of wrestling control of Albion from the Royal Family. Sure, such an action will prove costly but not this much.

Cromwell sighed in resignation. What seemed to be a straight and easy victory turned into a twisted and difficult way of gaining control. He's technically up against the power of Void and Romalia is likely hostile to his regime considering that he declared himself as an Emperor and Albion a republic. Gallia, on the other hand, is always an enigma thanks to the idiotic of a king Joseph de Gaul. He would like to get help from Gallia but the Gallic king always has the habit of demanding something in return in exchange for help. That something in return is always a big price and Cromwell didn't like it.

As Cromwell is thinking, a man suddenly came into his office.

"Your highness", the man said, "The additional cannons to be mounted on the Lexington has been completed. The ship is now ready for battle."

"Good", Cromwell replied, "I want all of the Albion Navy's ships of the line be amassed along with the Lexington at Plotsmouth. I want the invasion of Tristain to commence as soon as possible. It is my destiny to lead all of Halkeginia and destroy those heretical elves."

"As you order, your highness", the man said before making a respecting gesture at Crowell and left the room.

As soon as the man is gone, Cromwell reclined back at his seat and stared at the glass of wine at his hand.

"No matter, my destiny is already set", Cromwell said.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the outskirts of Odense…**

**1800 Hours…**

Two men are seen riding on a cart being pulled by a single donkey and the animal is reined by another man. All three men are wearing simple commoner clothing typical in all of Albion's towns and cities. Also, the cart also contains some rectangular wooden crates and all are sealed making it impossible to discern what they are for.

"Captain, are you sure this will work out?", James asked.

"That's not a concern Lieutenant", Mark replied, "What you need to think is how we can convince them to join us."

"Anyways", Mark continued, "Don't be so pessimistic James, I'm sure once the boys see our present for them they'll be happy to join us in this party."

Mark gestured at the crates that are just beside them to which James sighed.

"Whatever you say Captain", James replied.

A few moments later, the village of Odense now came into full view. From a landscape view, the village itself is really bigger compared to Rodiz as William said. Rice fields encircle the circular mass of houses in the middle while earthen roads protrude out of the village and also stood out of the green grassy fields by the brown marks of earth that make them up.

"Okay, we're finally here", Mark said.

The donkey-driven cart finally went inside the village. The houses in Odense aren't that much different than the one in Rodiz. All are built of stone and just made of a single floor. The only sight different is that of the rice fields that tend to extend far past their eyesight. The farmers that are currently at the field just inspecting the crops for crows messing up look like tiny dots.

The cart finally stopped in front of a house.

"We're now here", the villager accompanying Mark and James said, "This is where Simon, the village elder of this place, lives."

"I got it", Mark replied as he and James disembarked from the cart.

Mark went for the house's door and knocked while James and the villager accompanying them hauled up one of the rectangular wooden crates as they follow Mark.

The door finally went open and the three men were greeted by an old-looking man probably as old as William.

"Good evening Mr. Simon", Mark began, "I have something to talk about you along with my men."

Simon inspected the three men in front of him with a scrutinizing glare. Mark noticed it and realized that those are the eyes of an experienced soldier. He now thinks this will be good as it sounds.

"Come in", Simon said with a smile, "It really seems that we're going to have a talk."

* * *

**Meanwhile, at an Albion Imperial Army Garrison Base…**

**200 miles north of Odense…**

**1700 Hours…**

The sun is beginning to go down as Ronald's group finally made it to their base after they were greeted by signs of 'desertion' at the outpost several hours ago.

"Good evening sir", the guard at the garrison said as Ronald's group stopped at the main gate of the garrison base.

The trip from the 'deserted' outpost back to the garrison base is surely a completely annoying trip. Ronald wanted to command the soldiers at the outpost to prove himself but it turned out that said men 'deserted' which infuriated him. That also prevented him from claiming glory early on. Ronald wants to find himself commanding at the Royal Court of Albion and he actually didn't want to involve himself in military affairs. He only volunteered to take part in Albion's military affairs as heroic actions in one's military record is always a big boost he can rely on. The big problem, however, is he doesn't have any military experience to begin with which makes this a very daunting task.

Ronald and his group went inside the garrison base after the guard opened the gates. He immediately dismissed his men back to their quarters as he made way to his. He is now thinking on what to do after what happened in the outpost. There aren't any other options to do except if some foolish commoner instigated a revolt which he can immediately volunteer to quell it down himself and earn credit for it. But this is currently out of the question. Obviously, commoners are now too afraid of the government and they won't put up any convincing fight which doesn't make it a viable option in the first place. Even if he beat up many commoners, that would be nothing in the perspective of his peers especially the nobles serving as Cromwell's aides.

It took only a few moments of walking until Ronald reached the door of his quarters. His quarters are extremely spacious enough to cater all the necessities and luxuries fit for a noble. He put aside his sword wand away on a nearby weapon rack and reclined on his chair adjacent to a table made of high-quality hardwood. He massaged the muscle on his nose to ease the migraine going down there. The trip, although safe, is completely worthless. It's a waste of his time as he didn't earned anything for it.

All he want right now is an enemy to fight with which he will get credit for defeating said enemy.

Little did he know that the biggest turnaround in Halkeginia's history is about to occur… and he and his peers will be the first to experience that turnaround. It's only a matter of time once the dawn that will change everything will come.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Odense…**

**1800 Hours…**

"A revolution eh?", Simon asked, "Well you're quite brave lad but what makes you think you can muscle up Reconquista?"

Mark smirked before replying.

"Then I guess you should see this", Mark said as he gestured James and the villager with them to open the crate they have.

Simon was wide-eyed the moment he saw what the crate contained: The crate contained muskets of an entirely different design and one of the muskets has a metal box attached underneath between the trigger and barrel.

"So what do you think?", Mark asked, "We got the weapons to start with and we only need men to use them. By the way, these weapons are made by the Albion Liberation Corps. Do you want to join now?"

Simon immediately recovered from his surprise and regained his composure immediately. Mark's guess is right, he is a soldier and there is a side of his mind that says to join in with this rebellion. He is a soldier that can be said as dishonorably discharged due to a simple accusation by a noble which was never proved. Regardless, he was stripped of his rank as a soldier and shamefully discharged. From the start, he didn't like the Reconquista and even the Royal Family that the former removed by force. Both are inept and corrupt down to the last member. Whatever the case, he is brimming with vengeance for that disgrace that he received and the rebellion gives him a chance to do it. With two things considered, this is killing two birds with one stone.

Simon chuckled before making his reply.

"I'm impressed by what you just managed to pull off lad", Simon said, "Very well, this village is actually fed up with the government's inhuman system and having them join this rebellion is very easy provided that you have something to convince them."

"I already have that", Mark replied.

"Good", Simon said, "By the way, what are these weapons called?"

"They are called rifles", Mark answered, "The rifles are known by their name as the AC-1 rifle while the musket with the box under it is known as the ACRF-40 light machine gun."

"Do they function like muskets", Simon asked.

"Yes but the exception is that you don't need to insert any ball into it since the ammunition for the rifle known as the cartridge is loaded into the gun in quantities already at the back of the rifle which means that you will likely not lose aim of your target unlike muskets where you need to insert the metal ball right at the mouth of the musket. You can fire it over and over by pulling the lever on it and as long as there is ammunition in the rifle left which can be reloaded with several rounds in one go quite easily thanks to a stripper clip", Mark explained.

"What is that stripper clip?", Simon asked.

Mark gestured James to pull out one of the stripper clips for the rifles and presented it to Simon.

"This is a stripper clip", Mark said, "And as you can see, a single stripper clip can hold seven cartridges and I'll say that these cartridges have more killing power than a musket's metal balls."

Simon looked at the stripper clip presented in front of him. True, these so-called cartridges are larger than metal balls and he immediately sensed that they are laced with gunpowder clearly stating that they are live ammunition similar to a warship's cannon balls. The cartridges pointed tip pretty much states their deadly effectiveness in battle. The fact that the men in front of him came from Rodiz, a weapon-producing village, is enough to make him believe fact that the men in front of him came from Rodiz, a weapon-producing village, is enough to make him believe them. But he is a bit surprised that they are able to create these weapons without the Reconquista government having heard of this.

"I see", Simon said, "And what about this musket called light machine gun?"

"About that", Mark explained, "Simply think of it as a musket capable of firing consecutive shots before needing to reload. These things proved their effectiveness during our assault on an outlying outpost last night and they are very effective against mages. Some of my men that used this gun were able to take them down before the fuckers can fire a fireball or two."

James handed over a fresh magazine of an ACRF-40 containing 40 cartridges and handed it over to Simon who scrutinized it. The magazine is heavy but the entire thing is in good condition and fit to be used in battle.

"And by the way, it also uses a more powerful cartridge built especially for taking down mages", Mark added.

Simon now thought his options. He joined the Albion Liberation Corps but he never expected that he's going to wield some impressive weaponry. Heck, the rifles and light machine guns that the ALC have is way better than the ones he used when he is still in service of the Albion Imperial Army many years ago before he was dishonorably discharged. The clarity and quality of the weapons is front of him is also great which cemented his perception that the men in front of him is the real deal. Maybe this is a sign that he will really get his payback if he joins in.

"I understand", Simon said, "Me and the men of this village will be joining the rebellion and you can count on that."

Mark smiled at Simon's reply and replied back.

"Very well", Mark replied, "More weapons will be coming your way. I want the men here to learn some basic combat training especially in the use of melee weapons. They'll be trained on the use of these weapons once more arms get here."

"Alright, I'll be training the young lads here", Simon said, "I used to be a soldier after all so molding them up to shape is just a piece of cake to me."

"Good", Mark said, "We'll be leaving now before some fuckers got here."

"By the way, tell my greetings to William. It's been a long time since we last met", Simon said as the three went towards the door of his house.

Mark nodded before he and his two companions left.

The three men left although they left behind the crates of weapons that Mark and his two other companions have.

Simon inspected the weapons and found them all to be in good condition. As he gaze at the weapons, a feeling of excitement rose up in him. It's been three decades ever since he last wielded a weapon in battle which is also the number of years ever since he was dishonorably discharged. With this rebellion just a matter of time before exploding, he is just moments away in going to get his first taste of battle after that long period of lethargy… and it will be an excellent way of letting some steam off him.

_-TURN 3 END-_

* * *

**PS: Well guys, this is the chapter that I uploaded before my college term starts in 12 hours. Hope you guys liked this. Expect the first head-to-head skirmish next turn if I'm lucky.**

**Anyways, what do you guys think will happen if the ALC have just even one Overlord Tank upgraded with a gatling gun? I currently have an imagination of what's gonna happen if this thing is included in the story and I just wanted to know if you guys also have the same imagination as me.**

**I also based the OC Ronald Banastre on the Tarleton Banastre, a British noble with the rank of 1st Baronet. He was aslo known as the "Bloody Ban" and "The "Butcher" due to allegations that he opened fire on surrendering Continental Army troops at the Battle of Waxhaws (which resulted in the Waxhaws massacre) during the American Revolutionary War. I came up with this after watching the film "The Patriot", a 2000 film depicting the American War of Independence against the British Crown, and observed the profile of Colonel Tavington who is the main antagonist of the film. Ronald might probably end up like the antagonist he as based on later in the story.**


	5. Turn 4: Starting the Flames

**Author's notes: Alright guys, this is where the rebellion officially begins. The ALC is currently armed with small arms weapons like rifles, machine guns… and the classic grenade launcher which is modeled after the M79 Grenade Launcher. Don't worry; the ALC will be getting heavier weaponry as the story progresses. If you guys played any of the Command and Conquer games, I'm sure you guys noticed that you only have the basic units at the first mission of a campaign, most likely the basic infantry, and you'll gradually get bigger and better units as you progress from mission to the next mission. Being said, I'm also going to implement that manner in this story as a matter of realism. Heck, there's NO way that you can immediately deploy a badass superweapon right in the first mission of a campaign does it?**

**PEJP Bengtzone V2****, thanks for addressing that. Mathilda/Fouquet is going to have a role to play in here. Tiffania will also appear as well. But these things will be for later. **

**Man, this is the longest I wrote about a combat scenario for a story. I spent days to write the entire combat scene. Hope you guys like it. **

**Anyways, on with the chapter.**

* * *

**========== Turn 4: Starting the Flames ==========**

_"I began revolution with 82 men. If I had to do it again, I do it with 10 or 15 and absolute faith. It does not matter how small you are if you have faith and plan of action."  
__- Fidel Castro_

**At the Palace of Tristain…**

**1000 Hours…**

Queen Henrietta de Tristain, the crown sovereign of the Kingdom of Tristain, is contemplating on her desk about the current events happening around Halkegenia. Right now, Reconquista has been successful in seizing control of Albion and rumors of an Albion invasion of Tristain started to spread like wildfire ever since the Reconquista took power. At the recommendation of her closest advisers like Cardinal Mazarin, she made a military alliance with Germania to strengthen her kingdom's defenses against any invasion. Tristain is militarily weak itself and forging alliances with other countries is the only viable option for her. However, forging an alliance will require marriage to seal it. In order to fully forge the alliance, she is to be wed to Emperor Albrecht III, the Emperor of Germania, on Germania's capital city of Vindobona.

Currently, she is gazing on the papers on top of her desks pertaining to different matters. One of the papers is a letter coming from the Germanian emperor himself attempting to speed up the wedding. Obviously, Emperor Albrecht III de Germania has taken a liking to Henrietta and he would do anything possible to get her. It is believed that he heard that Henrietta is in love with Prince Wales of Albion and he didn't like it. However, he immediately threw everything he has to get Henrietta once news of Wales' death has been confirmed. With a tough obstacle in the way gone and Tristain's needs to protect her borders against a possible invasion coupled by the fact that some of the Queen's closest advisors are on good terms with him, Albrecht III believes that he can get Henrietta and its only a matter of time when it happens.

A man in expensive-looking clothes and resembles the military outfit fit for a general with many decorations attached along with a cape entered the room and went for Henrietta. Henrietta saw the man and immediately noticed that it was General Maquis de Gramont, the chief-of-staff of Tristain's military.

"Your Highness", general Gramont began, "Our scouts have detected a huge flotilla of Albion warships currently massing up in Plotsmouth and to make matters worse… An extremely huge warship by the name of Lexington has also been spotted there. I believe that the invasion will commence in the next few days."

"So the rumors are true", Henrietta began, "So what about our army?"

General Gramont looked troubled but answered quickly.

"Our army currently stands in about a million men including your Musketeer Corps and the nobles in the army", general Gramont began, "And we will need to conscript more of our subjects in order to compensate for the firepower of the incoming Albion invasion force. Conscripting students at the Academy is also an option and I believe that they may be what we needed to turn the battle in our favor."

Henrietta felt a sense of despair. Her kingdom is just a few moments away from the brink of annihilation and it feels that she can't do anything to stop it. Everything she sees is destined to crumble apart and she felt guilty for it because she can't do anything to save it.

"Also", general Gramont continued, "If we managed to secure the alliance with Germania, we will be immediately be safe from Albion as Germania will help us due to the treaty."

That's it, if Henrietta wants to save her kingdom; she needs to marry the Germanian emperor even if it is against her own wish. Prince Wales is dead so there is no longer any reason to hesitate. A moment of hesitation can easily turn into an eternity of destruction for her kingdom and she will not allow that.

"Very well", Henrietta said, "I want to send a message to Germania that I want to speed up the marriage preparations with Emperor Albrecht III."

"Very well your Highness", general Gramont said as he left after Henrietta dismissed him.

As Henrietta looked on the general's retreating figure, she can't help but think of what will be the future of Tristain. Is it really right that she accepted the marriage proposal of Emperor Albrecht III? Regardless, she immediately dismissed that question out of her mind. For the safety of Tristain, she must make deep sacrifices.

However, she didn't know that something bigger is about to occur…

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a forested area near the Albion Garrison Base…**

**1140 Hours…**

Three men in commoner drab clothing and carrying sacks behind their backs are eyeing the garrison base's outer walls. As they expected, the walls are extremely thick that it's impossible to destroy them with anything other than cannon fire or magic.

"So we're really going to attack this place tonight huh?", one of the men said.

"Yeah", another man said, "It's time for some heavy payback."

As the two are conversing, they suddenly noticed their other comrade busy writing something on a pad of paper.

"Done now?", the first man said.

"Just a few more seconds", the man writing on the pad of paper said, "And… done."

"Good", the second man said, "Now we need to get the hell out of here."

The three men then erased their tracks before they left and went inside the forest as an Albion Imperial Army patrol doing patrol routes around the garrison base occupy the place they stood just moments ago.

The man who appears to be leading the patrol group wearing plate armor and armed with a sword ordered his soldiers to stop in their place before talking.

"Look for any signs of someone that might be here a few moments ago", the man ordered.

The soldiers accompanying him then scurried around the area looking for footsteps and any other indications but found nothing.

'Nothing, sir", one of the soldiers said.

"Hmm…", the man exclaimed, "Alright then let's move."

The patrol group then resumed its patrol route after confirming that there is no one that went there.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Odense…**

**1200 Hours… **

"Alright maggots! Keep going!", Simon yelled.

Simon is training the men in the village on how to fight using melee weapons like machetes, sickles and scythes. So far, the men show meager signs of combat proficiency. Although he already has the weapons that Mark gave to him, he wanted the men to at least have an experience fighting in melee situations first before teaching them marksmanship skills. As a former soldier, Simon knows how vital melee combat is in an overall battle plan and that it allows a soldier to fight when all is exhausted. Being a soldier as well, he was impressed when he test-fired the so-called rifles given to him last night. The rifle is accurate and rather quiet yet it produced a nice hole in the practice target made of the same metal used on plate armor showing how effective it is. He will not deny that the rifle is far superior over the musket. One rifle can easily rival a dozen muskets quite easily in terms of efficiency.

While training men for battle without the government's authorization will alert the government about a rebellion, the fact that Reconquista is preparing for an invasion of Tristain already gave them a chance to do so without raising any alarm. Signs of this are quite obvious. An example is that no Imperial Army patrols have went in Odense and in any other village these past few weeks. No doubt that the soldiers who comprise the patrols are now in Plotsmouth waiting for the invasion to commence. There are still soldiers all around Albion but these soldiers will not come here yet. Odense is known as an agricultural village and the only time it becomes worth 'paying a visit' is during harvest time. Fortunately, there's still three months left before harvest time kicks in and that is at least enough to train the men in combat. The current government is also quite sloppy to say given how undisciplined the nobles who constitute the command chain of Albion's military since a large number of them didn't even have first-hand experience in leading an army in battle. The main reason why they became commanders and generals is simply because of money and connections. Simon loathed this practice and he didn't regret getting kicked out of the military decades ago given this system although he is angered because of being falsely accused by one of those sloppy nobles.

Simon watched the men making slashing maneuvers with the machetes in their hands. Since Odense is a farming village, it is obvious that there is farming equipment here and… they can be used in battle given the right training. Machetes are used by farmers to cut down weeds that grew quite tall to make room for crops to be planted and it seems that these same machetes will be used to cut down some bastards.

As Simon is overseeing the training of the village's men, several carts arrived and one of the men driving the carts went down from his cart and started walking to him. When the man reached him, the man talked to him about several developments.

"Greetings", the man said, "General Mark sent you additional rifles and some new weapons for use in an upcoming assault."

Simon smirked at the man's word before replying.

"I see", Simon said, "Can you show me these new weapons?"

The man nodded and signed him to follow to one of the carts.

Before Simon went with the man, he turned to one of his men who are overseeing the men's training and told him to overlook the men for a while. After giving out his order, Simon followed the man.

Once the two reached the carts, the man who guided Simon opened one of the crates revealing what appears to be a single-shot musket with a large muzzle and a foldable piece of steel over the large barrel. An intriguing trait of the strange musket is that the butt stock appears to be welded in an upside down fashion.

"This is called a grenade launcher", the man said, "And this is capable of firing grenade-sized cartridges over a distance far greater than what can be done by hand. The grenades that this gun fires always explode upon impact. This will be useful to knock down walls and fortifications in an Army garrison base that we will attack tonight. Bear in mind that you need to reload after each shot as this grenade launcher is just a single-shot weapon."

"Brilliant", Simon said, "Now I don't have to yank my arm up just to throw a fucking grenade."

"Anyway can you teach me how to use this grenade launcher?", Simon asked.

"Of course", the man replied.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the forest near Rodiz…**

**1400 Hours…**

The underground silos are currently brimming in activity as hammers slamming on raw iron made clanking noises. The black smiths are toiling the best they could in manufacturing the rifles, machine guns, and the newly invented grenade launchers for the Albion Liberation Corps. Manufacturing cartridges and grenades is also a priority as these things will be necessary in providing the necessary kick on the enemy.

One of the black smiths is inspecting a newly crafted AC-1 rifle to see if there are any defects on the rifle and remedy it immediately as soon as it is detected. Fortunately, no defects have been found and the black smith switched his attention on another rifle to see defects.

Suddenly, another black smith came in and made an announcement.

"Alright, production of grenade launchers has been given top priority", the black smith said, "And about fifty must be produced at least before night kicks in."

The other black smiths nodded in the order and started crafting the grenade launchers. The recently finished rifles, machine guns, and rifles are all placed inside rectangular wooden crates similar to the ones Mark and James used to deliver the weapons to Simon. Some of the crates are labeled with the words "To Odense".

At another underground silo, Kenneth is busy helping the black smiths in creating a sort of cannon. As the cannon reaches completion, Kenneth grinned with a smile before saying "Brilliant".

As Kenneth supervises the construction of the cannons, a black smith came up to him and relayed a notification.

"Sarge, we have constructed this sort of bomb you asked us by placing tons of explosives in a wine barrel. Is this thing gonna really work out?", the black smith said.

Kenneth turned around to greet the black smith and make his reply.

"Don't underestimate it", Kenneth replied, "That thing is something you would not want to mess around with. It's nastier than this fucking founder's magic you say."

The black smith just gulped and said "I hope it is".

* * *

**Meanwhile, at William's house…**

**1420 Hours…**

Mark, James, and William are all seated and in front of them is a table with the map of the Albion Island drawn on it. They are currently discussing on the course of action that they should take in the upcoming assault which will be carried out at night similar to the attack that they did on the outpost.

"Our target is a large Albion Imperial Army Garrison situated about 200 miles north of Odense", Mark began, "Considering that, we will need a lot of men to storm the place and take it over. Thankfully, old man Simon joined with us in our rebellion and he is now training the men in Odense for battle."

"But can we count on it?", James asked.

"You just saw the old man is a veteran soldier so we can count on him", Mark replied.

"Anyways, our plan is to deploy all our men in Odense and link up with our new comrades there", Mark continued, "However, the problem is how can we move our men to Odense without being spotted and, from there, move a combined force of about a thousand men from Odense towards the garrison base without being spotted as well."

"That's easy", William said, "There's a neglected pathway stretching from Odense up to the Albion Garrison Base known as the Snaefell pass. Also, the Snaefell pass is a bit sunk into the ground making it look like a trench and wide enough to let about 60 men to pass there easily at any time."

"Good", Mark replied, "But how are we going to position our men and equipment into proper battle positions especially the new cannons being crafted by Kenneth?"

"The Snaefell pass ends up to where the Snaefell Mountain is located", William said, "And about the mountain, it is overlooking the Garrison base giving us a perfect view to attack with cannon fire. You also don't need to worry as the Albion soldiers stationed at the garrison base have completely left the mountains with a blind eye. The mountain is also covered in thick foliage which makes it easy for us to hide there and firing the cannons from there will allow us to hit anything inside the fortress without needing to worry about the walls since viewing the individual buildings like the quarters and armory inside the fortress from up there is almost a top-view sightseeing."

Mark thought about this. The scouts he sent to probe the garrison base have said something about the mountain near the garrison base and other natural topographical features surrounding it. Mark knows for a fact that he and his men will get slaughtered if they just charged in without a plan. The scouts' reports about the garrison base that they are going to attack showed that their target is well defended with thick walls and high fortified watchtowers. Fortunately, he can turn out this situation in his favor.

"Currently, there are about 600 enemy soldiers stationed within the garrison base and about a hundred of them are mages, correct?", Mark asked.

William nodded and Mark took this as a yes.

"Now that makes this quite easy. Let's get to the main stuff now", Mark said as he laid out another map detailing the topography of the garrison base and the surrounding environment.

Mark pointed a stick towards the rightmost part of the map pointing at a section of the garrison base's walls facing the mountain.

"This is the section of the garrison base's walls that faces the base", Mark said, "And as can you see, we won't be able to attack the base itself unless we bypass the walls."

"So what's the plan?", James asked.

"We need to deploy our cannons here", Mark said as he pointed the stick he is holding at the line marks in the map next to the section of the wall representing the mountain's ridges, "As you can see, the mountain's ridges are long enough to allow us to at least deploy eight of our cannons and hit the enemy's positions without attacking the walls. The mountain is tall enough for this task."

"But aren't cannons too heavy?", James asked, "How will we position them in time?"

"Kenneth told me that the ACMG-10 Howitzers being made are based on the M116 Howitzer, a pack howitzer", Mark replied, "And that can be easily disassembled and reassembled in moving it through difficult terrain."

"Oh yeah", James replied, "I remembered that howitzer. I always have fun with some of my buddies back at the base assembling and disassembling spare howitzers like that when we need to do some maintenance checks on them. It's really light."

"Good", Mark said, "Now, we will need to organize our men in four groups and position them around the garrison base. Our scouts didn't report any sightings of the dragon knights which mean that the garrison base doesn't have any air support at the moment. I believe that all of Albion's dragon knights are now currently stationed in Plotsmouth in preparation for the invasion of Tristain."

Mark pointed his stick at the port city of Plotsmouth which is very far away from Odense and Rodiz.

"And as you can see, Plotsmouth is too far away from the garrison base", Mark explained, "Which will mean that we don't need to worry about fireballs raining down from the sky. Men, this will be a heavy full-blown ground assault so we will need all the firepower we can get and concentrate it against enemy ground targets. The overall plan is to have the howitzers open fire first with the targets being the expensive-looking structures which I believe is housing the nobles. As we all know, nobles are capable of using magic so taking them out first is top priority. The range of their spells is quite short compared to our cannons which mean that we don't need to worry of counter-fire from them. Once all of the high-value targets have been destroyed, that's when we will move in our infantry to mop up any remaining enemy forces inside."

Mark pointed his stick at the southern part and western part of the walls which indicate the gates.

"Once thehowitzers did their job, all we need to do is to breach the gates which will be carried out using the newly built ACBG-79 grenade launchers", Mark said, "Then we simply need to charge in and the enemy will still be reeling due to the howitzer barrage the moment we got inside. The enemy likely didn't anticipate any sort of attack due to the fact that they have annihilated the remnants of the previous regime's armed forces and their attention is most likely locked on the invasion of Tristain which gives us a chance to deal a devastating back stab attack."

Mark, James, and William continued to discuss more about the upcoming assault as the time passed.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Rodiz' village plaza…**

**1440 Hours…**

The ALC troopers are being trained by Michael on marksmanship skills particularly at scoring headshots at faraway targets. Their targets are tin cans placed on a stack as tall as an average person and shooting the tin cans represent successful headshots. Due to the suppressors attached on the rifles, the supposed to be barrage of rifle fire that should reverberate across the plaza sounded like whispers as the ALC troopers fire their rifles.

Cecilia is seen among the group of troopers doing practice shooting. So far, her progress is really good that Michael is impressed on her. In a single stripper clip, she already managed to shoot seven tin cans straight which means seven consecutive headshots in one go. No doubt she'll turn into an elite sniper over time and all she needs is combat experience which she will get in just a few hours.

On the other side of the plaza, Henry is training the men in close combat battles. The few days of training ever since the ALC was established seems to have paid off now. The men are now easily coping on how to apply various hand-to-hand combat techniques and they already have managed to have a degree of proficiency on using the ALC's standard combat knife, the ACBK-1. With the knife, the ALC troopers are now capable of delivering a killing stab at the enemy especially at the neck. Also, the men appeared to have easily mastered karate and sambo quite easily allowing them to fight even without weapons. However, their most lethal CQC maneuver is their ability to snap an enemy's neck with their bare hands alone and without making any noise in doing so.

Back on Cecilia, she is currently loading a new stripper clip on her rifle after she had ejected the spent and empty stripper clip. She finished doing the reloading sequence in just 6 seconds which will allow her to keep the pressure on the enemy as long as she have ammunition during battle. Once the stripper clip is completely firmly locked in place, Cecilia aimed her rifle and clicked the trigger scoring another direct hit while casings of spent ammunition continue to pile up on the ground around her.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at an unknown house hidden within the forest…**

**1630 Hours…**

A young girl with a blonde hair, pointed ears, and a well-endowed body is tending a group of children who all look less than 10 years old. Life hidden in the forest is simple yet uncertain. The fact that their house is within the forest makes it a dangerous place as dangerous animals can simply pop out of nowhere and attack them not to mention that it's also possible that thieves, brigands and even corrupt Albion soldiers may end up showing here and do really terrifying things. Regardless, the young girl doesn't have much of a choice. If they leave the place, they don't have anywhere to go. Furthermore, she is being assisted by a woman who acts as some sort of a big sister to her in tending the children and even her. Currently, this big sister of her in question is busy with her work from far away. Fortunately, she comes back in this place in a timely interval to bring in supplies like food to keep them afloat here.

The young girl looked on the sky to see it being a serene and peaceful sky blue sky. The white clouds up above are clean white not showing any signs of taint or anything. However, she could feel that something big is about to happen anytime soon.

"Big sister…", the young girl said as the children she is tending surrounds her.

* * *

**Meanwhile, on the deck of an Albion Imperial Navy warship…**

**1640 Hours…**

A green-haired woman with an apparent age of 23 years old is gazing at the sky as the dragon knights belonging to Albion's Dragon Knight Corps fly freely on the skies above the floating warships. Right now, Albion is just a few moments away from openly declaring war on Tristain and she is currently witnessing this event as the ship she is on is heading for Plotsmouth to link up with the main attack fleet which will sail enroute to Tristain once all preparations has been completed.

As she gaze at the clouds, the only thing she could think of is her little sister which was currently living hidden in the forest along with several orphaned kids who lost their parents and families during the rebellion that concluded with the Albion Royal Family's overthrow. That rebellion is a bloody and violent one… many lives were lost and liters of blood painted the earth deep red just to force down a handful of people from power. She didn't like the Albion Royal Family because they were the cause of her miseries. Her mother used to be a mistress for the duke of Albion and that bastard of a father never shouldered the responsibility of recognizing her and her mother because they weren't nobles. She watched as her own mother dies slowly while her father didn't do anything to help them in that time of need. Furthermore, she heard that her home, Saxe-Gotha, was burned down to the ground by the Royal Family with the Church's consent which further infuriated her. While she didn't knew the reason behind it, just hearing that the Royal Family is responsible for it made her angry outright but she is extremely puzzled as to why the Church sided with them. Does the Founder side with the devil? Overall, she greatly hated her own father to the point that she didn't even shed a single drop of tear to mourn for him. In fact, she felt somewhat happy that the bastard father of hers was dead.

And this is why she joined Reconquista under the identity of a mercenary. She wanted to get her revenge on the Royal Family for all the sufferings she and her mother received. Her lineage as a daughter of a noble doesn't matter to her. She even loathes it as completely disgusting. With the Royal Family now dead, she has now fulfilled her revenge. However, in exchange for that, she must assist Reconquista in its objectives. For her, this is the price for her vengeance to become a reality but this isn't a steep price to pay. Still, as she would say it, this is a deal with the devil.

Actually, she didn't like this but she must do it. With her mother gone, the only family she has left is her little sister which she left in the forests of Albion. Her little sister, half sister to be exact, also suffered the same predicament as her and she would not allow for the same misfortune to fall on her. That little sister of her was also the daughter of the duke of Albion and an elf. Like her, the duke didn't recognize his child from the elf. She was thrown away just like her. This is a reason that made her really angry at the Royal Family.

As she is thinking, an Albion soldier went up to her and spoke.

"The ship captain wants to talk with you, Fouquet", the soldier said.

The green-haired woman now named Fouquet then turned around to face the soldier before replying.

"I understand", Fouquet replied, "Kindly escort me to him."

The soldier nodded and the green-haired woman followed the former towards a door in the corridor leading to the inside of the ship.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Tristain Academy of Magic…**

**1800 Hours…**

The sun is now an orange gleam in the orangish-yellow sky. There are a few clouds in the sky and the horizon is devoid of anything save for the sun that is starting to set in.

Within the Academy grounds, male students as well as female students are organized into groups and all are armed either with spears or swords. Members of the Musketeer Corps are also in the area teaching the students about combat.

"Make your stance firm!", a member of the Musketeer Corps barked, "We're going to war so put up every single inch of strength you got!"

The female students got terrified and shoved their training spears in a stabbing fashion harder and faster. While drafting students to be deployed on the battlefield will boost numbers, it is a bad idea to conscript them since either all or most of them aren't fit for it. They are just kids after all. How can they do well in the battlefield?

In the wall near where the training bunch of students are standing in, a boy in a blue track suit, black pants, and a sword slung on his back is gazing at a pink-haired female student having difficult using the training spear since the training spear is almost as tall as her. Being said, she has a hard time wielding it.

The boy in question is named Saito Hiraga. He is from Japan and he was transported in Halkeginia after his curiosity triggered him to poke at a green portal that appeared in front of him during that fateful event. It's already a handful of months since he first set foot on Halkeginia and his interactions with a girl by the name of Louise Francoise de Valliere made him decide to stay on this world if an event ever makes him decide to go back to his own world or remain in this world with Louise. The girl named Louise which Saito has been in touch with is the same pink-haired girl that has difficulty using the training spear.

As Saito is staring at Louise, a member of the Musketeer Corps with short hair stood in front of him.

"You there", the Musketeer said, "Also train with the others"

"But I'm not a student", Saito countered, "Who are you anyway?"

"I am Chevalier Agnes de Milan, the leader of the Musketeer Corps and chief bodyguard to Her Highness", the Musketeer now known as Agnes replied.

Saito gulped at what he heard before he replied.

"Fine", Saito said.

The two then went towards the group of students currently engaged in combat training although all of them doesn't even show any sort of progress.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the village of Odense…**

**2220 Hours…**

Simon has all the men in the village that he trained for battle all arrayed in a rectangular rank-and-file formation typical during his army days. In just a span of a day, Simon managed to at least instill in the men the concept of military discipline. While they didn't get it fully, at least they managed to fare well in battle after the training he gave to them. During the training with the rifles, machine guns, and even with the grenade launchers, the men were pleased with the newly-arrived weapons and began to show signs of eagerness to go into battle.

As he is overseeing the order within the men, a man walked up to him to notify him of something.

"They're here", the man said while pointing at the direction where men came into view.

Simon turned around to see where the man is pointing at. From that direction, Simon saw a large crowd of men and a handful of carts carrying what appear to be cannons and some of the carts are also containing a bulk of provisions he can't identify from afar. Also, he can make out that the men are all wearing armor and steel helmets but the design is unknown to him. The armor and helmet doesn't look like it was made for the Albion Imperial Army. When the convoy eventually reached the village, Simon realized that it came from Rodiz as he saw William in the crowd armed with a rifle and wearing the same armor and steel helmet as the other men as well as Mark and James both are wearing an entirely different armor as well as three other people wearing the same unknown armor as the two.

"Mr. Simon, we also brought up a large bulk of armor for the men here", Mark said, "Have them wear the armor."

Simon didn't waste any time to reply.

"I understand", Simon replied as he signaled the men to come so they can receive their sets of armor and steel helmets.

After all the men have worn their armor and steel helmets as well as being armed with their weapons like rifles, machine guns, and grenade launchers as well as melee weapons like the ACBK-1 combat knife. Mark ordered all troopers of the Albion Liberation Corps to move out.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Albion Imperial Army Garrison base…**

**2340 Hours…**

The Albion Liberation Corps, boosted with additional men from Odense, is now a thousand-strong resistance group. The village of Odense really did a big boost to the group given the number of men who joined in.

The ALC arrived at their intended location after an hour and almost a half of trudging the Snaefell pass. Just like what William said, the pass turned out the way it is. It is deep enough that it allowed concealing anything that moved within its confines and wide enough to allow a platoon-sized group to pass at once.

Once the ALC exited the pass, they encountered no trouble in scaling up the Snaefell mountain which was just about a dozen meters away from the garrison base. The pass ends where the mountain begins.

The garrison base is extremely quiet. However, Albion soldiers can still be seen because of their armor being faintly illuminated by the two moons up in the sky. Thankfully, their ranks are rather thin at the moment making the garrison base an easy target for a heavy ground assault.

Seeing the situation boding well for them, Mark ordered the main infantry attack force to mass up just a few meters away from the gates so they can immediately finish any remaining enemy forces that happened to survive the incoming cannon barrage from them once directly storming the base is ordered. The infantry attack force is divided into four company-sized attack force numbering 200 men each. This literally translates into 800 men for the main attack force. The remaining 200 or so men are left up in the mountains busy preparing the cannons for the bombardment. The garrison base has four entrances and each company is positioned at each entrance. The four attack groups are led by Simon, William, James and Henry. Simon's company will take the front door, William will take the rear, James will take the left, and Henry will take the right. Mark chose this particular forced entry approach in order to take advantage of the element of surprise to the fullest. The enemy doesn't know an attack is underway on them which make a sneak attack the best option to lessening losses. All four companies will attack once the howitzer barrage died down so as to prevent casualties due to friendly fire from the howitzers.

Meanwhile, up in the mountains, the remaining men are busy setting up the howitzers. All in all, the black smiths of Rodiz were able to craft a total of 22 ACMG-10 Howitzer for this operation. The ACMG-10 howitzer is based off the US M116 Howitzer. As such, the ACMG-10 Howitzer is a lightweight artillery howitzer that can be moved quite easily either through setting it up on a wheeled carriage or disassembling it during travel and reassembling it at the warzone. It took the men almost fifteen minutes to fully set up the howitzers which are now all ready to fire a barrage that can rival a cannon broadside of a flying warship.

Michael and a handful of the remaining ALC troopers who aren't participating in setting up the howitzers stood guard around the artillery pieces to provide over watch support. He is leading the Support Team whose main task is to ensure the safety of the howitzers by preventing enemy forces from closing in assuming that some of them managed to pass through the Infantry Attack companies.

Mark is accompanying the ALC troopers along with Kenneth in manning the howitzers in the mountains. An ALC trooper then went up and spoke to him.

"General, all cannons are ready to fire", the ALC trooper said.

Kenneth then walked up to him to notify him about the cannons.

"Will we use the frag shells in the first salvo?", Kenneth asked.

"Yes", Mark replied.

Kenneth then saluted and turned on the ALC trooper who reached Mark first.

"You heard the general", Kenneth said, "Tell the artillery crews to use frag shells in the first salvo."

The ALC trooper nodded and saluted before going towards the battery of the now properly emplaced cannons.

Mark watched as the howitzer crews man the howitzers before looking at his wrist watch. When the minute hand struck twelve, Mark just barked a few words…

"ALL HOWITZERS FIRE!"

Just a moment after Mark barked the order, the entire mountain ridge erupted with fire as the line of 22 howitzers unleashed their payloads on the unsuspecting garrison base in a devastating volley. And within the next few seconds, the entire garrison base was engulfed in a bombardment barrage.

* * *

**Meanwhile, on one of the watch towers of the Albion Imperial Army Garrison base (a few moments before Mark ordered the bombardment)…**

A guard in plate armor made a yawn as he reclined on the chair inside the watch tower. It was a calm and boring day that passed today. As he reclined on the chair, he let the spear on his grip to rest on the wall. Currently, there's nothing good or interesting to do. The previous regime has been successfully defeated through annihilation which means no more enemies to fight. The commoners obviously won't be able to put up a show either.

Just as he is about to close his eyes to have a little nap, he heard a whistling sound rang in the air. He was about to get up but he was not able to do so as the watch tower he is in was completely blown to pieces by a 75mm cannon shell killing him and causing the now burning watch tower to crumble down. Within minutes, the garrison base was thrown into chaos.

* * *

**Meanwhile, outside the Albion Imperial Army Garrison base (at the front gate)…**

**2400 Hours…**

Simon watched with satisfaction as the garrison base is pounded by howitzer fire and he can easily hear the screams of the Albion soldiers inside who are being torn apart by the shells slamming in. Although he can't see the enemy soldiers being torn apart by the shells due to the walls, he has an easy time picturing in his mind what happens to them the moment a howitzer shell exploded near them or worse… directly on them. The results are quite gory but Simon isn't fazed by it all considering that he used to be a soldier and he had seen these kinds of things during his military service.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the Albion Imperial Army Garrison base…**

**0110 Hours…**

Albion soldiers are rampantly running wildly in any direction that their feet faced. Many of the soldiers weren't lucky as they ran straight into where the shells landed or at least… where the shells exploded. The shells fired by the ACMG-10 Light Howitzers in the salvo are all fragmentation shells. Fragmentation shells are designed for the anti-personnel role and bombing the garrison base is the best place to use them. The fragmentation shells proved themselves to be more than worth the effort of firing them as just one of them managed to wipe out somewhere around 40 men in one blast. The Albion soldiers tend to bump into each other as they ran which made them easy targets for the howitzers and their plate armor didn't do any good to shrug off the shrapnel from the shells which just pass through their armor like a needle cutting through cotton.

Inside one of the noble's quarters, Sir Ronald was awoken by the explosions and he immediately wore his armor and grabbed his sword wand before heading outside. Once he was outside, he was shocked by what he saw. The entire garrison base is being pounded by what he sees as artillery. Just immediately, he barked orders at the Albion soldiers around him.

"All men! Man your battle stations!", Ronald said, "Chase those bastards and kill them all!"

The soldiers around Ronald heard his order but they found it impossible to do due to the intense artillery bombing. As Ronald looked around him, he saw the soldiers struggling to comply with his order with great difficulty. As he was about to call a soldier, a howitzer shell slammed into the ground and hit the soldier he is about to call through the shrapnel. He was able to shield himself thanks to the wind spell he casted. It was, however, pure luck that he was able to pull it off. He didn't realize that the shells can do such a thing and his instinct is what saved him from sharing the same fate as the soldier that got killed with it. The soldiers around him, on the other hand, weren't so lucky. A handful of them died outright while the remaining where wounded by the shrapnel.

As Ronald saw everything transpire in just a few seconds, a soldier came up to him.

"Sir! Colonel Albert and the other mages have been killed by the artillery fire!", the soldier said.

This further infuriated Ronald. How didn't he know that such an attack like this will come?

In order to minimize losses and mount a counter attack, Ronald issued an order.

"All men! Open the gates", Ronald barked, "Kill the bastards!"

The remaining soldiers around Ronald immediately complied and opened the gates.

However… This will prove to be a not so good idea.

* * *

**Meanwhile, in the mountains…**

**0120 Hours…**

Mark saw the gates being opened wide which prompted him to relay an order to the howitzer crews.

"ALL HOWITZERS CEASE FIRE!"

The howitzer crews complied with the order and stopped firing.

As the last of the howitzer crews stopped their job, Kenneth being amongst them, Mark stared at the areas just outside the fortress.

"Time for a bar fight", Mark commented.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at one of the roads heading for the Albion Imperial Army Garrison base…**

**0125 Hours…**

An Albion Army group composed of 80 heavily armed knights and mages is making their way for the garrison base. Suddenly, they saw that the garrison base is on fire.

"Hold on", the leader of the group said, "You, cast a levitation and see what's happening there."

The mage being called out by the leader of the group complied and he was up in the air in the next few moments. When he saw what's up ahead, he paled. He immediately got down after seeing what he must see.

"What did you see?", the leader said.

"T-The garrison base is under attack by a large group of rebels, sir!", the mage exclaimed.

The leader of the group thought carefully about the situation. With the number of his group taken into account, he knew for a fact that he can't win the battle considering that the only way the garrison base can be seized by force is through sheer numbers. The rebels in front of him did it and they'll just be slaughtered if the intervened and they would have no chances of winning even if they have mages.

Coming up with a decision, he barked out an order.

"Men, we need to retreat to alert the government of this rebellion", the leader said.

The men in his group nodded and the group that is supposed to be heading into the garrison base turned back. Their destination is Londonium, the capital of the Holy Republic of Albion, to warn about this rebellion.

* * *

**Meanwhile, back at the Albion Imperial Army Garrison base (right gate)…**

**0130 Hours…**

The Albion soldiers were able to open the gates. However, just as the first soldier went outside, he heard a shout.

"ALL GRENADE LAUNCHERS FIRE!"

It was Henry who barked the order. Within seconds, grenades were flung right in front of the garrison base's right gate and the Albion soldiers who happened to be standing there were blasted to pieces when the grenades exploded.

Henry let out a stream of bullets with his M16A4 rifle while the ALC troopers accompanying him also opened fire. It was a devastating volley of an enormous volume of high-powered cartridges pouring over the unlucky group of enemy soldiers. The enemy soldiers were either riddled with bullet holes or were torn to pieces by grenade blasts before they hit the floor dead.

Just as the last of the soldiers were shot dead, Henry called Mark over the radio that was with him before the ranger team was transported to Halkeginia.

"[COMM] This is Company D, the right sector has been cleared of enemy forces", Henry said over the radio."

"[COMM] Copy that Company D, maintain your position. Prepare to open fire on any enemy that shows up there", Mark replied over the radio.

"[COMM] Roger that, Company D out", Henry said as he terminated the transmission.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Albion Imperial Garrison base's front gate…**

**0135 Hours…**

The Albion soldiers inside the fortress managed to get out of the damned base alive. However, that didn't mean that they escaped death.

To their horror, they saw a company-sized rebel group arrayed in a rank and file formation with the men in front of the formation kneeling in one knee while those in the back stood in a shooting stance. The same thing to both lines is that they are all armed with guns and said guns are aimed at them.

Within just a minute after the Albion soldiers have exited the front gate, Simon barked an order loud and clear.

"FIRE!"

The two layers of infantry in Simon's company, known as Company A, fired their guns and the Albion soldiers who happened to be at the front gate fell dead on the ground without a prayer. The remaining Albion soldiers who also exited through the front gate were torn to shreds from the hail of bullets fired by the rebels.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the Albion Army Imperial Garrison base…**

**0142 Hours…**

Companies B and C, led by William and James respectively, attacked the base simultaneously in a pincer formation. They easily tore through the Albion soldiers that opened the gates and continued their advance. It was their lucky night this time as they didn't encounter any organized enemy formation since the enemy, somehow, chose to funnel themselves on the gates where Simon's and Henry's companies are positioned. To cut it short, William and James are leading their respective companies in attacking the enemy's exposed rear.

Ronald, for the first time, found himself completely screwed up in a battle that he can't win. But in reality, this is his first time in a battle and he didn't have any combat experience at all. The only reason why he became a high-ranking military officer within the Albion Imperial Army is because of his position of being a noble. However, that didn't translate that he is a good military commander when it comes to military tactics and strategies. Overall, he is doomed in this cursed base.

As rage overcame his senses due to his situation, Ronald roared in a fit of fury and immediately zeroed on a rebel soldier who is wearing clothes that stood out from the rest and seem to blend well with the forest. He poised his sword wand to cast a deadly wind slash spell but the rebel soldier he is aiming at, Henry, pulled out a knife and threw at him. Ronald was able to parry the incoming knife but that canceled the spell so he has to start again. Just as the wind began to form up around his sword wand, a 5.56x45mm cartridge pierced his right eye and passed through the back of his head. The now dead Ronald fell on the ground as a small pool of blood encircled his pierced head.

Henry looked at who fired the shot and noticed that it was Cecilia.

He gave Cecilia a thumbs up and Cecilia, to his surprise, replied the same.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the Albion Army Imperial Garrison base…**

**0300 Hours…**

The fighting has now ended. Contrary to the attack on the outpost, the ALC didn't suffer a single casualty in the battle thanks to the carefully planned battle strategy that Mark laid out. Being a member of the US Rangers and having received military leadership training during his time at West Point military academy in the United States, Mark is capable of devising war strategies that can be said as efficient as said plans can incur no casualties once implemented on the battlefield correctly. This is further reinforced given that he is the valedictorian of his batch during his graduation at the West Point.

All around the now captured garrison base, ALC troopers are busy scouring around the base to find any enemy soldiers that are hiding. After two hours of searching, they didn't find any. It seems that all of the enemy soldiers killed during their assault are the entire enemy stationed at the base. The bodies of the dead enemy soldiers are being gathered at one place and said bodies are being stacked like logs. There are less than 400 bodies stacked all together while the rest where either blasted to pieces by the howitzer barrage or are dismembered the high-volume of fire from the Infantry Attack companies.

Within the next hour, the sun casted its morning rays on the garrison base as the flames inside the base are being suppressed by the ALC troopers. The flames burning the base may have been suppressed… but the flames of a new brewing revolution is just burning up with more intensity with each second… and fueled by the hate and desire to break free from the accursed social system that is the source of all of their miseries.

_-TURN 4 END-_

* * *

**PS:**

**New Weapons of the Albion Liberation Corps:**

**ACBG-79 grenade launcher –Albion Corps Breeching Gun Model 79 Grenade Launcher**

**ACMG-10 Light Howitzer – Albion Corps Mountain Gun Model 10 Light Howitzer**

**About Tiffania being Fouquet's little sister, I just based it from the information that I know in the series… at least that's what I think it is. Also, about Fouquet/Mathilda's family background, that's also what I know.**

**About the Snaefell pass and Snaefell mountain, I based it on Snaefell, the highest mountain in the Isle of Man located between Ireland and Great Britain. Albion is some sort of a parallel of Great Britain so I used this. Do expect cities in Albion that I will name to be based on English cities.**

**ALC Main Infantry Attack Composition and their Company Leaders:**

**Company A : Simon**

**Company B: William**

**Company C: James**

**Company D: Henry**

**Howitzer line: Mark and Kenneth**

**Support Team: Michael**

**Phew, I got carried away in writing this chapter for this story that I forgot to write the chapters for my two other stories due to the intense military tactics and strategies that I placed in here (I'm a huge fan of Real Time Strategy games). Anyways, the two other stories of mine will be update soon. I can't write chapters for my stories properly due to my college schedule unless I have clear picture of the events that I'll write in the chapter.**

**Either way, I'll already let you guys know that the Overlord Tank that I said last turn will really make an appearance in the story but now for now. Also the composition of C&C Generals: Zero Hour vehicles below are what I'm thinking up at the moment that will make an appearance aside from the Overlord Tank. Consider this as a spoiler:**

**Crusader Tanks (x12)**

**Humvees (x8)**

**Avengers (x3)**

**Ambulances (x5)**

**Comanche Helicopters (x16)**

**Overlord Tank (x4) (Upgraded with a Gatling gun add-on)**

**If you think that this Army group is rather large, don't worry. I already have an explanation why they are this large. I also already have a nice explanation of how they'll show up later and the problem that I have left is when I'll deploy them. Either way, that's just a small problem that will solve itself over time. **

**Also, try to guess what is the thing said as "explosives in a barrel" that the black smith doubted which will work out with Kenneth reassuring him. Clue: This is the favorite weapon of the GLA general ****Rodall "Demo" Juhziz and he even made his own powerful version of it.**

**Anyways, please R&R.**


	6. Turn 5: Spikes on Freedom's path

**Author's Notes: I'm going to clarify some things up. First, when I mentioned C4, I refer to explosives that are easily crafted from various explosive agents ranging from gunpowder to TNT and whatever explosives there is. For a better image of this C4, just look at the icon of the "Timed Demo Charge" of Colonel Burton in C&C Generals. The difference is the absence of the timer on the C4. Think of it a stripped down (of all tech-savvy) and primitive but still deadly explosive.**

* * *

**========== Turn 5: Spikes on Freedom's path ==========**

_"It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience."  
__- Julius Caesar_

**Palace of Londonium, Londonium…**

**1200 Hours…**

It's been eight days ever since the successful ALC attack on the Imperial Army Garrison base and nine surrounding villages around it immediately rose in violent revolts a few days after it which turned to be successful and the lack of Albion Imperial soldiers within the villages proved to be one of the two biggest factors on the revolts ending up in success. The other one being the ALC supplied the villages that revolted with arms and those same villages have now joined the ALC's revolution which, in turn, boosted the ALC's strength to about three thousand armed freedom fighters. However, the ALC did suffer about 90 deaths in their fold over the same week as well but this is nothing if military calculations are taken into consideration.

"Damn it!", Cromwell said in anger as he slammed the palm of his hands on his desk, "These rabble of peasants dare to oppose my power?! They will pay for their insolence!"

Just as he is venting the anger in his mind, a member of his aide staff went into his room to inform him of several reports.

"Your Highness", the aide said after he made a gesture of respect in front of Cromwell, "Six additional villages on the north-western part of the country have joined the rebellion this morning. The initial group of soldiers we sent there has been killed by the rebels."

This further made the anger in his mind flame up more instead of cool down. But choosing to keep his cool for now, he pinched the muscle on his nose before turning on the aid and spoke.

"Call off the soldiers currently in Portsmouth", Cromwell said, "I want them to go in the villages in rebellion and kill all the rebels. I want those pests to see who they are dealing with."

"But Your Highness, we won't be able to carry out the invasion of Tristain if we disperse our soldiers over the villages", the aide replied.

"That invasion can wait but destroying these rebels can't", Cromwell replied, "I also want the dragon knights to hold their positions at Portsmouth until further notice along with the ships of the line."

"I understand", the aide replied.

Cromwell dismissed the aide immediately after he sent the order.

"Once I'm done with these rebels, Tristain is next", Cromwell said to himself.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Palace of Tristain, Tristania…**

**1230 Hours…**

Cardinal Mazarin, along with several Court advisors and some generals of Tristain's Royal Army, is currently talking with Queen Henrietta in the throne room.

"Your Highness", Mazarin said, "A rebellion has just broken out in Albion. I think this is a perfect chance for us to hit them while they are disorganized."

"But we will be making an opening to our defenses if we make a move if we take Gallia into account", general Arrighi de Casanova said, "And I believe we should just wait till the rebellion concludes before deciding any action."

"Furthermore", general Gramont added, we need Germania's support in laying siege to Londonium. We can't carry out an invasion on our own."

"Regardless", Mazarin interjected, "This sudden rebellion gave us the chance of hitting them on their backs. This is a tempting chance to deal the decisive blow on them and I believe we may not have another chance like this."

Henrietta frowned at the moment. Her own advisors and generals are torn over what to do on the situation. Two juicy options but two viable risks to take at the same time. If she attacks, she just lowered her defense against an enemy that could strike at her rear, Gallia. On the other hand, if she just let it pass, she's letting what appears to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. She can't mobilize any of her armed forces as doing so will weaken her defenses. She can opt to send her musketeer corps but that would attract unwarranted attention. Besides, her musketeer corps isn't suited in carrying out military actions like this.

"I believe we should just wait", Henrietta finally said, "We don't have the necessary manpower to carry out this at the moment. If we attack right now, we risk being attacked by both sides at once."

"Both sides?", general Armand de Caulaincourt said, '"What do you mean by that Your Highness?"

"We do not know if this rebels will side with us", general Christopher Dela Duroc interrupted, "They might even attack us if we just charged in."

"General Duroc is right", Henrietta said, "Albion is currently sunk in another civil war and I'm afraid the rebels will see us as enemies if we move there at this moment. We should just let this rebellion pass unless Germania sends us an invitation to launch an attack on Albion."

Everyone nodded at Henrietta's word showing overall approval.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Palace of Germania, Vindobona…**

**1250 Hours…**

Miles away from Tristania where the situation is that of unease, the atmosphere in the Palace of Germania is the opposite one.

Emperor Albrecht III de Germania can be said as extremely happy at the moment. Prince Wales is dead leaving Henrietta wide open for the taking. While he is angered by the fact that Henrietta is in love with Wales which he learned from an emissary of Reconquista which gave him the incriminating evidence that points to the secret relationship between the two, he ignored it with his own discretion. He firmly believes that Henrietta will turn to him anytime sooner and it's just a matter of 'persuasion' to do the job. Moreover, he still needs Tristain as a buffer zone against Gallia due to the Germanian-Gallic tensions which has been in place long before even his own grandfather was born due to both of them being the two strongest kingdoms in Halkeginia and rivalries do make things really dicey when it comes to politics.

A man in resplendent clothing with a fancy-looking sword sheathed in its scabbard and strapped to the man's waist complete with well decorated epaulettes adorned with gold on his shoulders entered the Germanian emperor's throne room and bowed down in respect which Albrecht III acknowledged

As soon as the man stood up, he spoke to Albrecht III.

"Your Highness", the man began, "It is been days ever since a new revolution has broken up in Albion. The Imperial Diet wants to commence an invasion as soon as the civil war in Albion concludes and they simply want your approval to enforce it."

Albrecht III grinned before replying.

"I see", the Germanian emperor said, "Well then, tell the Diet that they have my approval. I want the Imperial Army prepared for battle and send a message to Tristain to prepare their own army as well if they want to honor the military alliance. I also want the Imperial Guards to be mobilized along with the Imperial Army."

The man looked perplexed at the mention of "Imperial Guard".

"Your Highness, are you-", the man was unable to finish his words as Albrecht III immediately continued.

"That's right Duke Herman Von Kleist", Albrecht III said, "I will personally lead the invasion force myself. I want to crush these peasants with my own hands. Do I make myself clear?"

The man now known as Duke Herman Von Kleist nodded in agreement.

"Very well then", the Germanian emperor said, "Now go and tell the Diet of my decision."

The duke then bowed down and left the throne room chamber.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the former Albion Imperial Army Garrison base…**

**1300 Hours…**

The sun is high up in the sky casting hot rays of sunlight as the men of the Albion Liberation Corps are busy digging the soil around the garrison base which now acted as their headquarters. Even with using their shovels, the work still takes time. The objective of their diggings is to make a trench network encircling the garrison base as a means of adding an extra line of defense. However, the exception is the part of the garrison base facing the mountains from where they placed their light howitzers during the assault almost a week ago. Also, the trench network being made is also designed to be connected to the garrison base through an underground passage being created as well starting from inside the base so as to prevent ALC troopers from being exposed to enemy fire just in case they went outside through the gates. The trenches are about 8 feet deep although there are portions of the trenches where it is only 5 feet deep and these same portions are used as bunkers where the men can open fire on approaching enemies. These bunkers are armored with thick metal plating found inside the garrison base as well as thick blocks of wood and an ALC trooper armed with an ACRF-40 machine gun is stationed in the bunker.

ACMG-10 light howitzers are emplaced on the towers of the garrison base and are ready to fire in a moment's notice. They are also manned by a three-man howitzer crew.

Inside one of the rooms of the garrison base that used to be the commander's quarters, Mark is busy looking at the maps at a table. He is currently seeing if there are any military bases near the garrison base that they just captured. Overall, the purpose of the trenches being made around the captured base is to increase their defenses against a possible attack which is most likely a large human wave attack.

"Good", Mark said, "Everything's going according to plan."

One of the maps in front of Mark has several scribbles on it. The scribbles range from red x marks to black circles to blue lines. The red x marks represent the towns that joined the ALC's rebellion, the black circles represent military bases held by the Albion Imperial Army and the blue lines represent supply routes to which they can move their weapons and supplies safely. On the map, there are a total of fifteen villages being marked with a red x, six black circles representing outposts which made Mark a bit relieved as they're quite small which means that they won't have too much soldiers to wipe out the ALC in one swipe, and a long blue line connecting Rodiz to Odense and finally to the garrison base.

On the bad side, the ALC is currently small and is just recently established at least a week days ago. Being said, the ALC is weak at the moment and facing a large regular army like the Albion Imperial Army can be a real trouble. Furthermore, the men are quite inexperienced at the moment so Mark has to rely heavily on micromanagement and asymmetrical warfare tactics to compensate. It's obvious that the ALC won't be going anywhere without a skilled leader issuing sound orders.

The good side, however, is that the ALC became popular due to their bold and daring assaults that they carried out against several Albion Imperial Army outposts over the course of a week. In fact, men from many villages that happened to be near the bases that they attacked immediately joined their rebellion boosting their numbers in the process. They only need to be sharpened in order to truly bring out their effectiveness in the battlefield. Simon, Henry and Michael, with William acting as a support instructor, are busy training the men especially the newly recruited ones in combat while James is busy training the soon-to-be officer men on the concepts of battlefield tactics and squad coordination. Kenneth is busy working alongside with the black smiths busy building more weapons for the ALC's growing number. As for him, he is making overall battlefield strategies for the ALC in the fight against Reconquista.

Mark sat down on the chair next to the table where the maps are being laid up and took a few minutes of rest. Progress has been not that fast but it's quite guaranteed. Production of weapons for the ALC has gone well and the supply lines have not been compromised as of now. However, the main reason why the supply lines are not being disrupted by the enemy is because these supply lines are located deep in the forests separating Odense and Rodiz as well as villages that have supported the ALC. Based on the logic of Albion's imperial military, they would never keep an eye on the forests as they always consider the supply lines to be roads on open fields. Besides, their weapons are stored and created in the underground silos which the Albion imperial military doesn't even think of. With this, it doesn't really matter whether they raid village after village on the purpose of depriving the ALC with its weaponry as their own weapons aren't even stored there. However, it will be a nice idea if they played along with the enemy. After all, deception is the key to victory in the battlefield. Another advantage if they did do this is that support for the ALC will grow given the anti-Reconquista feeling that the Albion populace is currently giving off. If the Reconquista did this like the one they did at Rodiz which he and his Ranger team managed to stop in time, all they need to do is move in and save the people which will allow them to earn their trust and support for the revolutionary effort.

However, the only complain Mark have on this one will be the loss of life. Clearly, what the Imperial Army is doing is no different with that of the GLA. The GLA firmly believes that it fights for the freedom of the downtrodden peoples of the world yet they slaughter civilians along the way which is completely disgusting inside out. The Reconquista, on the other hand, is a bunch of religious hypocrites that use their Founder which seems to be their god as a means of hiding their heinous crimes. If Mark will be casting aside every single piece of his composure, he'll love to punch this Cromwell guy and cut his dick off same with the Founder. Based on the information that he read from the books on William's house and from the ones inside the conquered garrison base, Halkeginia seems to resemble Medieval-era Europe back in his world especially on the grounds of religion and imperialism. To make matters sick as fuck, the nobles who run this country are much more of egotistical bastards compared to the ones in his world. Burning down entire towns for the fun of it? This is a clear violation of human life and Mark didn't like it. The autocratic rulers in his world both in the medieval era and the modern world in third-world countries maybe a bunch of self-serving motherfuckers but they are still sane not to burn their own people to death for nothing.

As Mark is contemplating on his seat, an ALC trooper came inside the room and saluted him to inform him of something.

"General, we received report from our scouts that a force of about a thousand men has just arrived in the city of Armaghe two hours ago from now. The city of Armaghe is just four hundred kilometers away from Durhen which joined our cause. Sir, the ALC commander in charge of Durhen's defense requested reinforcements in order to repel the suspected Albion Imperial Army attack there.", the ALC trooper said.

"How many soldiers do we have at Durhen", Mark asked.

"We have about four hundred soldiers there and about three hundred irregulars", the ALC trooper said.

"Are there any troop movements from other Imperial-army controlled areas?", Mark asked another in order to gauge what sort of reinforcements he will need to send.

"Apparently, the Imperial Army seems to be just strengthening their grip on the other areas under their control near Durhen. Our Intel says that only the Imperial soldiers stationed in Armaghe will be making their move against Durhen since it's the nearest to Durhen", the ALC trooper replied.

"I see", Mark replied, "Now what are the geographical features of Durhen?"

"The village of Durhen is situated atop high ground", the ALC trooper said, "Estimated elevation from ground level is somewhere between 10 to 20 meters. There isn't much cover to run in from the low ground which made the village easy to defend from high ground unless the Imperial Army deployed their dragon knights or some high-powered artillery. About the dragon knights, we're lucky that they haven't shown up yet."

"I see", Mark replied, "Tell the ALC commander of Durhen that supplies, armaments and 300 additional men will be coming his way as reinforcements. Also tell in the order that he must not make any attack whatsoever and just concentrate on holding the village. I want that village to be under our control as much as possible."

"Understood", the ALC trooper said, "Are there any other orders?"

"About that", Mark replied, "Tell also the ALC Durhen commander that I'll be sending in a 4-man group of infiltrators that will head for Armaghe to carry out an espionage mission there. I recall that he knows the extents of Armaghe so I want him to debrief the infiltrator team about Armaghe."

Mark then dismissed the ALC trooper which is an officer after instructing him.

"Understood, General", the man said as he saluted.

Mark replied with a salute and watched as the officer leave the room.

"Things are going to get serious in the next few days", Mark commented as he gaze at the map that looked like some sort of a messed-up tick-tack-toe game.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the road to Odense…**

**1400 Hours…**

Farmers comprising the Irregulars, also known as the Rear-end Squads, is busy digging at the ground which is the road leading to Odense. The Rear-end Squads are named after their task: carry out rear-echelon tasks that the 'regular' members that compose the ALC will not be able to handle due to their job in combat like handling logistics, setting up traps and other defense infrastructure, and, most importantly, defend the ALC-controlled areas as an auxiliary unit to the ALC forces stationed in said areas. Also, unlike the main ALC fighting force, members of the Rear-end Squads may include children as young as 12 years old provided that they are fit enough. Mark didn't like this due to the issue regarding child soldiers but he can't let these restrictions get a better hold of him this time around.

On a more important note, the Reconquista government branded the village of Odense to be in rebellion alongside other villages who sided with the ALC. Despite almost having a week already, the Reconquista hasn't known yet the name of the rebel faction that they are fighting against. This is because of the fact that all of their forces stationed in the villages and towns that rebelled have been wiped out down to the last man which gave them the perception that the rebels are strong considering that their forces that have been wiped out also contained mages. This led to Reconquista to simply adapt a passive strategy at the moment until their enemy has been thoroughly gauged. They didn't like this setup but they don't have any choice but this.

"Phew", the farmer exclaimed after he managed to dig a hole in the ground.

Suddenly, a cart containing barrels known as the demo trap arrived on the area and the driver of the cart went down from the cart. These demo traps are barrels filled with gunpowder and other explosive materials that made them dangerous especially at the fact that they are all fully loaded. A single demo trap has the possibility of wiping around 80 to 150 men in one blast if certain conditions are met. In large numbers, these explosives can rip down even the largest attack forces in an instant.

"Alright everyone, let's rig the soil with these", the farmer who drove he cart said as he pointed at the barrels.

All of the farmers in the area, twenty of them in total, went to the cart and started unloading the barrels full of explosive ingredients. The barrels were a bit heavy though due to their contents but that doesn't negate their lethality on the battlefield. Currently, the demo traps are 'inert' meaning that they won't detonate when triggered by means that will make them explode when they are 'active'. This allows the men to place them at ease and without the fear of being blasted to bits if they screwed up.

It took half an hour for the men to place them all up. Before burying the demo traps in their holes, the members of the Rear-end Squads activated the demo traps whose triggering mechanism revolve around a specific weight. When the demo traps are subjected past the weight that they can sustain, they will detonate outright. This prevents the demo traps from exploding prematurely and to ensure that the demo traps will be taking down reasonable numbers of their enemies in a go. The men did bury the explosives under half a feet of earth and headed back to Odense.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the underground silos of Odense…**

**1420 Hours…**

The underground silos of Odense follow the same pattern as the ones built in Rodiz. These underground silos are also just built over the course of the week and these are located in the area that Reconquista won't likely suspect: In the forest just a kilometer away from Odense's front door.

Inside these underground silos, the men are busy forging more rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers for the war effort. They are not making howitzers as these are being built in the underground silos of Rodiz. The advantage of making underground silos in Odense is that Reconquista will never suspect that this area is making weapons due to the fact that this is an agricultural village not a weapon producing one like Rodiz. Besides, the supply lines linking Odense and Rodiz are safe from Reconquista attacks due to them being surrounded by ALC-held villages and those villages are properly defended.

The atmosphere inside the underground silos is quite hot due to the heat generated by the forge which is at least vented out by the same heat exhausts installed on Rodiz's underground silos.

The men continued to toil around the clock although they put more effort in building more ammunition for the guns especially the 5.56x45 mm cartridge which is the ammunition for the AC-1 rifle that is the standard firearm of the ALC.

"Everybody, keep the effort up", a man said.

The others inside the silos continued to work but are pouring more effort into their work.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Palace of Gallia, Lutece…**

**1520 Hours…**

The kingdom of Gallia is one of the two superpowers in Halkeginia, the other one being Germania, and is currently observing the civil unrest that is happening in Albion.

In the throne room of Gallia's palace, King Joseph de Gaul is smirking as he read the transcripts of what is happening in Tristain from spies currently installed in Tristain's Court with not even Queen Henrietta noticing it.

"So Tristain willingly became Germania's pawn to keep their country in one piece huh?", King Joseph said.

Suddenly, a raven-haired woman entered the throne room and bowed in respect to the Gallic king.

"Master Joseph", the raven-haired girl said, "The civil unrest in Albion continues to worsen by the second. What shall we do regarding this?"

King Joseph thought for a moment before replying.

"These rebels are quite interesting", King Joseph replied, "They managed to give Reconquista some headache even with the fact that we are supporting Reconquista through the secret treaty though we don't know how. We should just wait and see how far they can go. I still need Reconquista to keep Germania and Tristain busy for the meantime."

"I understand", the raven-haired girl said, "Are there any other orders?"

"Pay Cromwell a visit, Sheffield", King Joseph answered, "I want him to bring this unrest under control as soon as possible. This is also a good chance to gauge these new rebels' abilities."

"As you order, master", the raven-haired girl now known as Sheffield said.

King Joseph dismissed Sheffield after issuing his orders. As he watch Sheffield's retreating figure, he just grinned in excitement due to the unfolding events.

"It's been a long time ever since something as interesting happened", Joseph commented.

However, this interesting development will be far more than what he expected. And like the other rulers, this development will lead to an unexpected turn in Halkeginia's history that not even the Founder can stop.

-_TURN 5 END-_

* * *

**PS:**

**Tristanian leaders are based on French nobles**

General Pierre de Casanova - General Arrighi de Casanova

General Armand de Caulaincourt - General Armand-Augustin-Louis de Caulaincourt

General Christoper Dela Duroc -General Géraud Christophe Michel Duroc

**Germanian leaders are based on German nobles**

Duke Herman Von Kleist - Herman Goering and Heinrich Von Kleist

Spoiler: Next chapter will contain the first espionage/infiltration mission of this story.

**Albion towns and cities are based on English cities**

Armaghe – Armagh

Durhen – Durham

* * *

Also, this is a part of the scene were the combat vehicles I mentioned last chapter will appear (remember guys, this IS still the alpha version so this ISN'T final). If I may say, consider this as a trailer/spoiler:

**Meanwhile, somewhere in the Middle East…**

**1500 Hours…**

A large US Army convoy is trudging the desert fields in order to get back at their base after a successful operation against a large GLA forward base which they leveled in the end of their mission. All of the vehicles have been modified in order for them to trudge the desert without sinking down the sand.

The US Army convoy in question is made up of twelve Crusader Tanks with a remote-controlled M2 machine gun, eight Humvees (also have their primary M2 machine gun remote-controlled) with the TOW missile turret attachment, three Avengers, five ambulances, three Construction Dozers, four Tomahawk Missile Launchers, sixteen cargo trucks containing ammunition and other important supplies for the combat vehicles and some recovered Chinese artillery pieces that the GLA likely looted as well as four prized war machines that have been also recovered from the GLA. All of the vehicles save for the Construction Dozer, Cargo Trucks and the prized war machines have drones but are currently 'docked' at their parent vehicles at the moment. The Crusader Tanks have Battle Drones with them except that four of the tanks have Hellfire Drones instead, the Humvees have Scout Drones and three have Hellfire Drones instead, and the Tomahawk Missile Launchers all have Scout Drones. The convoy is also supported by four flights of Comanche gunships fully-armed with anti-armor rocket pods and loaded with counter-measure flares for fending off missile attacks as well as three assault-type Chinook transport helicopters loaded with Rangers ready to make a combat drop. All of the combat vehicles have improved armor plating and are now running on a more efficient fuel engine improving their operational range. This also applies to the helicopters

Inside one of the humvees, a ranger is sitting on his seat while facing on the humvee's remote-controlled weapon station busy monitoring the on-board radar on the look-out for any GLA forces that are attempting to start an ambush. His finger is also ready to click the trigger on a joystick which is the controller for the remote-controlled weapon system linked to the M2 machine gun on top of the humvee. Currently, the ranger could not see any hostiles on the camera screen of the remote-control station as well as no hostile readings on radar. The entire scene is just a barren sea of sand everywhere.

"Corporal, any readings?", another ranger in the humvee asked the one currently at the remote weapon station panel.

"Nothing to hit with a jack lieutenant", the ranger said.

"Good, this will be a peaceful trip in this shitty desert", the ranger with the rank of lieutenant said.

"Yeah, we also got four Overlord tanks in tow", the gunner replied happily, "And those motherfuckers are kind enough to attach them with frontline rams."

"You got that Corporal", the Lieutenant said, "I wonder if I'll get a promotion for this."

Just as the lieutenant is about to recline on his chair after finishing his conversation with the humvee's gunner, a sudden transmission put him on alert.

The lieutenant immediately picked up the communicator and heard the person on the other line spoke first.

"This is Hunter-Killer 4-1, I am currently detecting a strange disturbance on my radar", the person in a muffled voice spoke, "It looks some sort of energy buildup right in the sky above us and it keeps on getting bigger by the second, over."

"Is that a particle beam?", the lieutenant asked.

"Negative", Hunter-Killer 4-1 replied, "It's bigger than the particle beam fired by our Particle Uplink Cannon. It's also green instead of blue, over."

"What can that thing-", the lieutenant was not able to finish what he was about to say as a massive shockwave-like force suddenly dove head straight to the convoy.

"F-Fuck", the lieutenant said as he got knocked out by the shockwave along with the others.

The area that the large US Army convoy suddenly became empty in a second… and no one will know what became of them.

_-TRAILER END-_

* * *

This won't be appearing next chapter so please be patient. The next chapters will focus on military tactics and strategies. Do expect to see an espionage mission next chapter.

**M198 howitzer – the artillery piece look-alike that appears on the icon of the Artillery Barrage in C&C Generals. This is where the Chinese based the artillery they are using in the game. The artillery in their Artillery Barrage support power somehow resembles the M198 in my perspective.  
**


	7. Turn 6: Behind Enemy Lines

**Author's Notes: Here it is. This turn contains the first espionage mission of this story. Bear in mind that the events will be viewed in the eyes of the infiltrator team so this will be a first person view rather than a third person one.**

**Also, I shaped up Romalia's military based on the information I obtained from the light novels. From the information that I obtained, Romalia has the best ships when it comes to tech but they have just 40 of these (few compared to Tristain if I'm correct). Anyways, Romalia having the smallest military (but not weak) is already part of my plan and a plot route is already in set for it. **

**Without further ado, here's turn 6! Hope you guys like this!**

* * *

**========== Turn 6: Behind Enemy Lines ==========**

_Truth is suppressed, not to protect the country from enemy agents but to protect the Government of the day against the people.__  
__- Roy Hattersley_

**Inside the Meeting Chamber of the Great Cathedral of Romalia, Romalia Capitale…**

**0900 Hours…**

The next day, word of the new rebellion in Albion has been officially declared throughout the continent of Halkeginia. Ever since the new rebels managed to establish themselves over a week, all of the Brimiric kingdoms and even Germania are eyeing the situation under a scrutinizing eye. It is not because of the rebellion itself but due to the rebels. Frankly speaking, the rebels managed to beat the forces of the Albion Imperial Army in a string of battles over the course of the week without using any mages at all. No information about the rebels' military power can be juiced out in order to gauge their capabilities. All that can be said is that they are just a group of commoners.

When the rebellion first broke out, the monarch rulers of the Brimiric kingdoms just brushed it aside on the grounds that the rebels will be wiped out in just a couple of days. However, the rebels betrayed their assumption considering that they managed to hold out past that time and they even managed to secure villages and towns which the Albion Imperial Army can't attack. The Reconquista is said to have lost a nice chunk of their soldiers in the skirmishes with this unidentified rebel force and almost all of their army groups were wiped out down to the last man. To add further insult to the injury, they also lost a meager number of their square-class mages in the battles against this unidentified rebel force. The second part really disturbed all monarch rulers including Emperor Cromwell. Nobles are superior over commoners so how can this happen?

While this is disturbing, no one can do anything to make a proper assessment of the unidentified rebel forces. For one, it is impossible for any of the kingdoms to send in any of their men to make contact with these rebel forces due to the Albion Imperial Sky Navy guarding Albion's coastline territories. And on Reconquista's part, they can't pretty much do anything since their forces are good as dead the moment they went within range of the towns under the rebels' control.

Reports also say that Albion Imperial Army groups prowling near the rebel-held towns and villages are being shot to death from nowhere which degraded the morale of their soldiers since they simply fell dead without a trace. To make things more complicated, there isn't any sound of a musket being fired before any of them falls on the ground dead. This is a rather scary situation and it has been reported that some of the nobles, especially the ones with no military experience, who happened to be leading groups heading straight for the rebels' villages have resigned their posts especially if the towns they will be going at have a sizeable tract of forest which they need to pass in order to reach their intended targets. This is because the few who managed to escape, whether plain soldier or army mage, have stated that the forests seems to behave 'weirdly' as if they were being watched and killed slowly by damned souls which ended in most of their comrades falling dead mysteriously in a disturbing fashion. This especially becomes the case at night time where visual awareness gets reduced to half. This also made the forests really scary and many Albion Imperial Army commanders tend to think twice of prowling at night.

Inside the meeting chamber, Pope Vittorio Serevare has convened the Holy Council of Romalia in order to decide what course of action they will need to take regarding the new rebellion in Albion. The Holy Council is comprised of Romalia's highest priests and influential clergymen. Some important cardinals acting as representatives for their kingdoms are also present in this meeting.

"Your Eminence", a cardinal spoke, "We cannot let the new rebels in Albion from running free. I have received reports that these vile rebels are vandalizing sacred temples of the Founder all over Albion. We must do something to stop these barbaric acts from happening any further."

"So are you saying that we should join Germania in their planned invasion of Albion once these vile rebels have defeated Reconquista, Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani?", Cardinal Mazarin asked.

The cardinal, now known as Alfredo Ottaviani, replied.

"While I scorn being on the same side as those pagan-worshipping barbarians, we do not have any choice other than them", Cardinal Alfredo replied.

"But our military force is even smaller than Tristain", Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia interrupted, "So how can we participate in this invasion? Germania will just see us as a nuisance."

Pope Vittorio noted Cardinal Borgia's concerns. Since Romalia is a much more religious oriented 'kingdom', they are technically forced to limit their weapons expenditure as well as their military manpower. The only compensation to this, however, is that they have the most advanced ships in all of Halkeginia but they are just few of them in comparison with the four other kingdoms but even those ships are fewer.

"Calm down Your Excellencies", Pope Vittorio finally spoke with a tinge of respect to the cardinals due to the fact that all of them are older than him even though he is the Pope of Romalia, "As it stands, this new rebellion has just begun. We still do not know what these rebels are up to."

"But Your Eminence, these rebels have defiled the sacred churches of Brimir. We cannot let them get away from this", Cardinal Ottaviani asserted, "They need to be punished for doing so."

"Those reports of the new rebels burning down churches are not confirmed ones", Vittorio replied, "As the Pope of Romalia, my prime duty is to guard the lives of the people and I will not let the blood of the innocent be shed just because of an accusation that may turn into a lie in the end."

There was a moment of silence in the meeting chamber after Vittorio's words. However, that eerie silence was broken down by another Cardinal asking a question.

"Your Eminence", Cardinal Francesco Forgione said, "What should we do with these rebels then?"

"I am planning to send a representative of the Church to Albion through the alleged invasion being planned by the Imperial Diet of Germania which is scheduled to take place a few months after the civil war concludes", Vittorio said.

"A few months?", Cardinal Ottaviani said incredulously, "Why do those barbarians are giving these vile rebels time to breathe easily? These commoner mongrels are even worse than Reconquista!"

"Germania might be hoping that the new rebels might end up tearing each other apart once this civil war concludes", Cardinal Borgia answered, "And I believe this plan is orchestrated by Duke Adolf Von Goebbels just by anticipating the edict that the Imperial Diet will be releasing with Emperor Albrecht's blessing. Also, Germania has mobilized a large part of their army and is now heading towards the port town of Rouen near the Germanian-Tristanian border. I think they are really serious with their move against Albion."

Mazarin's face expression turned into a sour frown upon hearing the Germanian Duke's name. Duke Von Goebbels is a cunning strategist when it comes to backroom politicking as far as Mazarin knows. The Duke may not have any military background to begin with but his capacity to concoct a very devious plan capable of dealing huge amounts of political damage is more than enough to consider him a threat. Even though Germania is more of a down-to-earth kingdom, Duke Von Goebbels is highly regarded by Emperor Albrecht III and trusts him in various sensitive political affairs.

He was also the same person that led to Tristain being tied to the Germanian-Tristanian Military pact to which he views as an unfair treaty. In just a couple of seconds, Mazarin regained the calm face expression he has just like at the beginning of the meeting before he ends up getting the attention of the Pope and his fellow cardinals.

Before any can speak, Mazarin immediately spoke.

"Your Eminence", Mazarin said, "I am also here to inform that Her Highness Queen Henrietta de Tristain is also sending a representative to meet with the new rebels' leaders and negotiations with Germania regarding this affair is being currently handled by the Royal Court of Tristain. The representative will come along with Germania's Imperial Army that will spearhead an invasion of Albion once the civil war concludes. Her Highness wants to prevent further bloodshed and the representative will act as a mediator to allow the rebels to surrender."

Pope Vittorio smiled at Mazarin's words.

"Very well then", Vittorio replied, "Please tell my thanks to Her Highness and about my decision."

"As you wish, Your Eminence", Mazarin replied.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the road towards Durhen…**

**1000 Hours…**

A batallion-sized group of 300 ALC troopers are proceeding towards their destination, Durhen. The group is using horses and carts in order to carry their equipment, supplies, and cargo which made them look like a caravan of sorts. It's been five hours ever since they left Odense after packing up with supplies which they will need to deliver there. Furthermore, their more important objective is to reinforce their defense outpost there. Durhen is located at a chokepoint: atop an elevated area which links to Armaghe, a large Albion city currently housing a large attack force of the Imperial Army. While just having around a thousand soldiers to defend the area which comprises of them, the local defense outpost in Durhen, and Durhen's irregulars against an enemy attack force of around three thousand fully-equipped soldiers not to mention the mages accompanying this attack force, they have been trained in the concepts of asymmetrical warfare and it will surely tilt the scales in their favor especially at the fact that the Imperial Army isn't suited to handling this kind of warfare. Most of them have participated in the attack on the Albion Imperial Army Garrison base and they have seen for themselves that this is possible. In fact, they did it with their own hands. Also, they have the guns to fight with and they are now wearing uniforms comprised of a mix of different shades of green and some bits of black and brown. At first, the men were quite skeptical about this attire since it makes them look dirty but their leaders assured them that it's fine. Heck, their own leaders are even wearing outfit that looks similar to their uniform except that it seems to blend well in desert environments. However, when they thought about it, their uniforms do make sense at all. Due to the messy arrangement of the colors, it's quite hard to spot them in the forests and even at night due the dark shades of the colors used to dye their uniforms. Their steel helmets look rather plain compared to the ones worn by the Albion Imperial Army soldiers but it does make them feel comfortable due to its simple design.

Within the group freedom fighters, four men in their eighteens are walking alongside the other ALC troopers.

"Are we there yet?", one of the young man wielding an AC-1 rifle said.

"Not really close Johann", the young man wielding another AC-1 rifle replied.

The young man, who spoke first, now known as Johann, answered back.

"Can you cut that out Owell?", Johann said.

"What if I don't?", the young man now named Owell asked.

Before Johann can say anything, the third young man in the group interrupted.

"Can you two please stop talking?", a young man by the name of Joel said who is wielding an ACRF-40 machine gun.

"Oh Joel, how can you endure the boredom of walking miles and miles of dirt?", Owell asked.

"Well, just walk and ignore everything", Joel replied, "Just like Kevin here."

Joel pointed to the fourth young man in their group wielding a scoped AC-1 rifle.

"Guys, just keep on walking will you?", Kevin replied when he saw Johann and Owell look at him.

"Whatever", Johann and Owell replied at the same time.

The four young men continued to walk with the rest of the army group to their destination.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Tristain Academy of Magic…**

**1100 Hours…**

Louise is pacing back and forth in her room. Right now, her brain is currently smoking due to the news she had received a few hours ago. The new rebellion in Albion has somehow made things turn differently. Germania has built up a sizeable force near the Germanian-Tristanian border and told Tristain to do the same.

However, that is not the reason why she is angry. Rather, it is the alleged rumors that the new rebels are vandalizing Brimir's churches scattered throughout Albion that made her really angry. Louise, like a number of devout nobles, is completely in support of the Founder and she scorns those that defile Brimir's name in one way or another.

Regardless, she can't do anything but wait. Albion has apparently called off the invasion at the moment as Tristanian scouts conducting reconnaissance has sent a report that the massive Albion Imperial Army stationed at Plotsmouth has been dispersed into the countryside to quell this rebellion. Consequently, Tristain has used this as an opportunity to speed up strengthening political ties with Germania which was quite unexpectedly still in one piece even though Reconquista was able to hand over the letter which she was supposed to retrieve as per the Queen's order. However, that letter is also laced with a fiasco regarding her and Viscount Wardes who she is supposed to marry. Not only Tristain was humiliated but she as well by the Viscount who eventually turned out to be an Albion spy. Thankfully, that damned viscount was killed in the ensuing melee by Saito in the temple of New Castle after the traitorous viscount murdered Prince Wales.

As Louise is pondering her brain, Saito entered the room.

"Louise", Saito said, "Agnes came here and said that Princess Henrietta wants to talk with us privately."

Louise turned to Saito and asked.

"What for?", Louise asked.

"I don't know", Saito replied, "Agnes just said that it's very important and Princess Henrietta wants to discuss it secretly."

Without further ado, Louise just complied and Saito walked out of her room with her in tow.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the village of Durhen…**

**1145 Hours…**

Ian Gorden, a peasant and the ALC commander in-charge of Durhen, sat inside his house which now served as the local headquarters for the ALC forces stationed there. Currently, he is sitting in front of the table in his house with an AC-1 rifle and a box of 5.56x45mm ammunition is sitting on the top of his table. It's been a week since his own village, Durhen, joined the ALC and he, along with his men, is up against Reconquista. Initially, he was skeptical of joining given that they will be up against mages and they are nothing but commoners. However, upon knowing that the ALC was the one that carried the successful attack on the garrison base as well as the outpost, his men immediately joined in. In fact, the men became enthusiastic when they got hold of these so-called rifles and machine guns along with the portable cannons called grenade launchers. Add to this is that the ALC also provided them with artillery known as the howitzer. These howitzers are smaller than the typical cannons but they proved to be more than worth it. This was because these howitzers performed better than the cannons that they had known so far. The howitzers may have a slightly shorter range compared to cannons that they knew but it was more accurate and could fire faster which is very useful in the long run. Add to this is the so-called fragmentation rounds that these artillery pieces can fire which can wound several targets or kill them outright if the shrapnel hit home.

However, the weapons really aren't the main reason why he and most of the people in his village joined this rebellion. He heard that the ALC is advocating for the freedom of the people from the slavery and injustices done by the corrupt royalty of Albion. Before the ALC even appeared, the people had already lost all of their faith in the Founder as the nobles have committed almost every single atrocity imaginable ranging from raping village women of their choosing to hanging random people without basis and just because they wanted it which they hid under the Founder's name and they didn't suffered any punishment for their atrocious acts. The ALC, on the other hand, introduced the concepts of democracy, justice, equality, and human rights among other liberal ideas. These so-called liberal ideas are a promising aspect of a new and better life which he and his men are prepared to fight to the death. At first, the disenfranchised in his village were the first to join the ALC's ranks. These disenfranchised people are those who lost their loved ones from the sick practices of the nobles and joined to exact their revenge. In fact, some of the disenfranchised were orphans that lost their parents from the nobles' sick games. Over time, more and more of his village's people joined until he himself joined in. In fact, it's just a matter of time before every single man, woman, and even children in his village is holding a weapon to boot.

Ian took hold of the rifle and inspected it. Compared to muskets that he knew, these seem to be more accurate due to the iron sight attached at the rear of the rifle which he could use to take potshots easily unlike muskets. The rifle's cartridges are of good quality as well. Due to the pointed design of the cartridge's tip, it can easily tear through thin plate armor common among the soldiers of Albion's Imperial Army. This gives the ALC the edge in combat as they can easily kill off Albion's soldiers as long as they have a clear view of their targets. Moreover, the stick attached to the muzzle of the rifle called the suppressor is a true marvel on its own as it quiets down the rifle every time it is fired allowing the shooter to remain hidden for a possibility of an indefinite amount of time if the enemy really sucks in scouting. Ian continued tinkering with the rifle until an ALC trooper came in.

"Commander, they're here", the ALC trooper said.

Ian stopped tinkering with the rifle and looked at the trooper.

"I understand", Ian replied, "I'm going to meet them outside."

The ALC trooper nodded and went out with Ian following.

Outside, Ian saw the reinforcements from Odense stood in a rectangular rank-and-file formation with a clear sign of strict military discipline. The ALC troopers in formation have the butt stocks of their weapons touched on the ground while their right hands are holding the end of their guns' barrels. They also wore what seemed to be a messy colored attire painted in different shades of green that tend to blend in with the forest and even a steel helmet. A backpack of sorts is also behind them which appear to hold the ammunition for their guns and other battlefield supplies.

"Commander, we are the reinforcements sent in to increase the defenses of this village", the ALC trooper who appears to be in charge of the reinforcements said.

"I see", Ian replied, "Is there anything that the General wants?"

"Nothing", the ALC officer replied, "Except that this village must be kept in ALC hands at all costs. The General has also sent in more than thirty additional howitzer pieces and dozens of howitzer ammunition to defend this place. A Reconquista attack is suspected to be inbound so the General wants this village to be heavily fortified as much as possible. The General also tells that more men should be recruited here along with the other villages for the revolutionary effort in order to gain the necessary forces needed to take on Reconquista."

"Understood", Ian replied, "So shall we start preparing things up?"

The ALC officer nodded and instructed the men to unload the howitzers from the large caravan of carts and place them at the cliffs overlooking the lower grounds of the village.

The ACMG-10 light howitzers are placed in the carts during the transport trip and two of these can fit inside one cart. The ALC troopers didn't just emplaced the howitzers as it is. They did surround the howitzers with sandbags and made makeshift bunkers by heaping sandbags over sandbags. These are done in order to make it harder for the suspected-to-be attacking Albion Imperial Army force to hit them and the howitzers. The makeshift bunkers housed the sniper nests and the purpose of these emplacements is to snipe down mages, enemy artillery crews and even dragon riders who will attempt to close in on Durhen's defense line. The snipers also doubled as artillery spotters for the howitzer crews as well.

The few houses in the village which happened to be tall enough, at least two storey floors high, were fortified and the upper floors were now converted into machine gun nests to provide anti-air fire if the dragon knights will really show up. The low ground surrounding the village of Durhen is completely barren of anything except short grass which made cover completely impossible. This gives the attacking enemy force a real headache as they won't be able to charge without suffering heavy casualties first. From the cliff occupied by the ALC forces, they can shoot down any enemy force that shows up. The ramp entrance of the village was also rigged with demo traps which will make things even harder for the Albion Imperial Army.

Ian is busy supervising the fortification of the village. At one point, he helped the men to set up the howitzers and the sandbags to speed things up.

Suddenly, four teenagers came up to him.

The four teenagers were Johann, Owell, Joel, and Kevin.

Before the four can call Ian's attention, Owell asked Joel.

"Joel, are you sure about this?", Owell asked.

"Of course", Joel replied, "The General entrusted us with this mission so we must not fail him."

"Joel's right", Kevin replied, "This is a do or die mission guys."

"Yeah", Johann interrupted, "Let's talk with the commander regarding this already."

* * *

_Flashback…_

_At the village of Odense…_

_0500 Hours…_

_Johann, Owell, Joel, and Kevin are heading straight for the General's quarters as they got word that the General wanted to talk with them. They are all nervous to say the least. After all, the person in question is the overall commander of the Albion Liberation Corps that they will be talking to._

"_I wonder what will the General say to us", Owell said._

"_Well, I just hope we can do the job if it is", Joel replied._

"_Quit it down, the General may be hearing us", Johann interrupted._

_As the four young men neared the door, Kevin took hold of the door knob and looked at his friends._

"_Alright guys, here goes nothing", Kevin said as he opened the door._

_Kevin opened the door and they immediately saw a man wearing clothes that have a messed-up pattern of various shades of green and even black dyes. He looks quite young for a high-ranking commander since he looks about 25 years old. The General doesn't even have a beard._

"_Good, you guys are here. Have a seat", Mark said as the four young men sat on the vacant chairs inside the room, "I want to discuss several matters and you guys will be the ones that will be able to carry it. By the way, I came here personally to inform you guys about the basics."_

"_General, what can be that be?", Johann asked __a bit surprised seeing that the highest commander of the ALC went here just to inform them._  


"_I heard that you guys tend to travel to Armaghe on a daily basis to deliver in various agricultural products like grains and wheat so that means that you are at least customized to how things work there right?"_

"_Yes but how can that concern us with the task you are assigning to us, General?", Joel asked._

_Mark looked at all four of them straight in the eye before speaking._

"_The task that I will assign to the four of you is one thing… Infiltration", Mark said._

"_You mean go in there and spy on what's going on there?", Kevin asked._

"_Smart kid", Mark said._

"_W-when will we be sent in to Armaghe?", Johann asked with a panic in his tone._

"_You'll first go to Durhen along with the reinforcements that will be sent there and Commander Ian will be the one briefing you about it", Mark replied "Don't worry, you guys just need to say that you were just villagers that managed to 'escape' from the rebels if they ever ask you. I believe their leaders are just a bunch of fools who don't know the meaning of tactics... and deception. Since you always go there and you guys look like villagers, you guys have the perfect alibi."_

"_Any more questions?", Mark asked._

_The four didn't answer and Mark dismissed all of them. The four saluted before going out of the headquarters._

_Flashback end_

* * *

Johann paused for a moment before speaking.

"Commander Ian", Johann said, "We were the infiltrator team that was assigned with the mission; the General has told us that you will be debriefing us regarding Armaghe. Can you please fill us with the blanks about it?"

Ian heard the words and turned around to see four young men in camo clothing and armed with rifles and a machine gun. He thought for a second on seeing these soldiers. For one, they are just as old as his own son who is also aiding in the defense of Durhen. And two, they look like fresh recruits although they also show signs of meager but reliable combat training.

"Come with me at my headquarters", Ian said.

The four then followed Ian back to the latter's home.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside Ian's house, Durhen…**

**1240 Hours…**

"Then that's all of it", Ian said as he finished elaborating everything to the infiltrator team.

"So we're going to infiltrate a city that's currently housing a large portion of the Imperial Army, that's pretty tough", Joel commented.

"It may be hard, private", Ian replied, "But it's a task that needs to be done."

"Alright men, you are to leave by two hours from now and you will be not carrying any weapons so as not to compromise your cover for this mission, is that understood?", Ian said.

"Yes, commander", the four said.

Ian dismissed the team afterwards and watched them go out.

As soon as the four young men are now out, Ian just reclined back on his chair and massaged his forehead.

"I hope that everything turns well for them", Ian commented.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the gate of Armaghe…**

**1700 Hours…**

The four young men arrived at the entrance of Armaghe after a long ride. However, it is not tiring as they had expected as they brought along with them a cart and a horse which means that they don't have any tired legs just yet.

"Halt!", an Albion soldier in plate armor and armed with a spear shouted in military tone causing the group's cart to stop. Six more soldiers then stood guard alongside the first one that stopped the group.

"What can I do for you sir?", Joel asked who is holding the horse's reins.

"State where you came from and who you are", the guard replied.

"We're from the village of Odense and we just managed to get away from there after the rebels looted our belongings", Joel said.

The guard looked at the group. Clearly, the group of young men in front of him seems to fit what they are saying. They are all wearing simple commoner clothing which implies that they are commoners and their clothes have some cuts and stitched rags. Perhaps they got it when the rebels made fun of them.

"Alright, you could pass", the guard replied as his comrades made way for the group to go in.

The group then went past the gate and inside the city. Just as how they were debriefed, everything went according to plan. The priests in Albion did side with Reconquista as they all portrayed the rebel group which is the ALC as the evil side and the government as the good side when it should be the other way around. It didn't sit well with everyone but it did help give them an alibi for this infiltration. However, they are currently unarmed so they are screwed as hell if they are discovered.

"So, what are we going to do now?", Owell asked after sensing that they are now far away from the guards to be heard.

"We need to find a landlord and rent a room", Joel said, "The conditions here probably sliced the rents down due to most of the travelers not going anywhere because of the rebellion so we should have an easy time finding a good room to spend the night in."

As the group drove through the streets of Armaghe, Albion Imperial Army soldiers are prowling everywhere. In fact, their numbers seem to have increased a lot due to the likely reinforcements sent in which the Intel reports didn't stated but suggested that will happen. However, the dragon knights are still at Portsmouth so there's no serious trouble at the moment. In all respects, the entire city turned from a peaceful city into a giant fortress.

It may be a fortress but a drop of acid will eventually corrode even the strongest defense in no time and that is for sure… and that is dripping from the inside.

_-TURN 6 END-_

* * *

**PS: **

**Romalian ecclesiastical clergymen are based on Italian cardinals and other famous clerical laymen of the Church**

Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani - Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani

Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia - Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia

Cardinal Francesco Forgione – St. Pius of Pietrelcina (Francesco Forgione is his real name)

**Germanian leaders are based on German Leaders**

Count Adolf Von Goebbels – Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels

**By the way, I came up with the Reconquista forces being shot to death mysteriously from the tactics of Fidel Castro (when he was fighting against Fulgencio Batista during the Cuban Revolution) by ordering his men to snipe the foremost man in Batista's soldiers who are tasked with searching for rebel bases in the mountains. This has a great deal of a demoralizing effect to Batista's troops as they showed refusal to search for rebel bases as it proved suicidal.**

**I will base future combat encounters from battles that took place in real life in this story so do expect to see some fights to look familiar to you.**

**Also, next chapter will be the Defense of Durhen. Stay tuned.**


	8. Turn 7: Fight for Freedom

**Author's notes: Well guys… here it is, the defense of Durhen is in this chapter.**

**Before I discuss more about this, I'm going to inform you guys about some information regarding the combat vehicles that you saw in the trailer since I think that most of you are thinking that it will be plain overkill. First off, they will NOT be the game breaker in this story because of the following reasons…**

**Drawbacks:**

Limited Fuel – seriously, all combat vehicles require fuel in order to move. Without this, they are all sitting ducks (Though they will be getting their fuel through the same process that Colbert used in order to make gasoline for the zero fighter)

Slow – all tracked vehicles are technically slower compared to their wheeled counterparts and that applies to vehicles like the Crusader tank, Overlord tank, and Tomahawk launcher. Due to this, the enemy can outrun them and escape easily if needed (and even outflank them if they don't have any support). Besides, Albion's terrain will make it difficult for them to move except the Humvees and Comaches (the latter being unaffected by terrain as it is an air unit).

"Fat" – the combat vehicles that will be forming up the army group that will go in are all large especially the Overlord tank. This makes the vehicles easy to target even from afar.

Irreplacable – if they get destroyed for good, they won't be coming back so planning carefully is very important in order to ensure their survival.

**Well, these are now the advantages:**

Hard-kill protection – yep. All combat vehicles save for the humvee, dozers, and supply trucks will be having tough armor at their disposal which makes them difficult to destroy.

Heavy firepower – All of the vehicles will be packing a lot of punch at the enemy and it will hurt real BAD.

Radar – the Humvees will have short-range radar capability installed in them due to the remote-control weapon station controlling their heavy machinegun turrets as seen in the trailer.

Accuracy – since every single US vehicle has a reliable Fire Control System in them, their accuracy will be high.

**Now that sums up the vehicle convoy issue. Continuing with regards to the defense of Durhen, it will be a battle from high ground against low ground which will give the ALC force stationed there an advantage in battle although the attacking Albion forces will also have theirs, their numerical superiority and magic to be exact, as well as one more thing which will be revealed as you read this chapter.**

**Without further ado, here's turn 7! Enjoy reading!**

* * *

**========== Turn 7: Fight for Freedom ==========**

_"Si vis pacem, para bellum"  
("If you want peace, prepare for war!")  
- __Flavius Vegetius Renatus (ca 390 AD), __Roman military strategist  
From "Epitoma rei militaris" (a summary of military matters)_

**At the town square of Armaghe, Armaghe…**

**2000 Hours…**

Armaghe is one of the largest cities in Albion. In fact, it is almost as large as Londonium and it is about 800 miles away from the royal capital of Albion. Being a large city, Armaghe houses a large deal of Albion's population with a total of approximately 850000 inhabitants. That's a big number to say and not to mention the various economic and industrial infrastructures in the city like factories.

In Armaghe's city square, the four young men, undercover ALC spies to be exact, are still roaming around the roadways of Armaghe as the still haven't found a single inn to spend the night in.

"Damn, why can't we find a single damn inn in this city?", Johann complained.

"Quit complaining Johann", Joel replied as he keep hold of the reins controlling the horse, "At least we don't have those imperial soldiers all around our asses. It's our necks that get's slit if we get discovered."

Joel looked around and relived to see that none of the Albion Imperial Army soldiers are keeping a sharp eye on them. Perhaps it's because of the fact that they are dressed too simply. Currently, the four of them are wearing simple villager clothing except that it's dirty in some portions along with several rag stitches around it. Moreover, they are not carrying anything worth looting in the first place and they all look to be on the impoverished side thanks to their somewhat old-looking and beat-up cart typical of many commoners living in villages and in the countryside.

"Whatever", Johann replied back, "Anyways, we really need to find an inn soon. I don't want to let those suckers see us in the middle of the streets at night."

"Johann's right", Owell said as he yawned, "We need to get some rest for tomorrow."

"If my guess is right, we need to roam around Armaghe by tomorrow and plot all the important locations in this place for reference starting now", Kevin said.

"You're right, Kevin", Joel said, "But how are we going to send back whatever information we'll obtain especially now?"

Kevin just looked up and pointed his pointer finger up in the sky as pigeons flew past overhead the group.

"Kevin, are you sure about that?", Johann asked.

Kevin simply nodded and the rest knew what it is.

"You're a genius Kevin!", Owell replied.

"Quiet down, Owell", Kevin said, "We don't want to attract any unnecessary attention."

The group continued on their ride. All around, large stone buildings dominate the scenery. Some of them are likely to cast a shadow during daytime. Moreover, given the large buildings in this city, urban warfare tactics and strategies are the best bet in order to take this city. Besides, fighting inside cities isn't the specialty of the Albion Imperial Army which gives the ALC an edge since they are trained to fight in situations where the enemy is at a disadvantage.

The group made their way among the streets of Armaghe. Soldiers litter the area in large numbers clearly implying that they are strengthening their grip on the city to prevent the rebels from capturing it. Due to all the assets that Armaghe contains, letting the city fall to rebel hands is definitely not an option. If things get too serious, they may opt to burn the city to the ground to prevent the rebels from gaining any strategic and tactical advantage though this would be the last thing they will want to do.

As the group went by, they passed small bunches of city folk walking on the road and most of them have a sign of fear in their eyes. Even though the group didn't approach any of them, they can easily tell that the people are scared. Well, considering the sizeable Imperial Army force stationed in the city right now, it's impossible not to get scared especially when the Imperial Army is notorious for beating down civilians at their discretion usually for just petty things.

Suddenly, an old man leaning on a stick for supporting himself as he walk slowly suddenly appeared in front of the road where the group's cart is heading causing Joel to pull up the reins so as to prevent the old man from being run over. It was already night so it was hard to see somebody else from a distance and the lamp posts around doesn't seem to have enough illumination to let them group see anything from afar.

"Woah!", Joel exclaimed as he pulled up the reins in time.

The old man, on the other hand, just stood where he is as if he didn't realized that he was just a moment away from being run over. Probably because he is too old that most of his senses have deteriorated through old age.

"Hey old man! What's up with you!", Owell shouted as he went down the cart and rushed up to the old man to see if there's anything wrong. However, he was shocked when he realized that the old man appears to be deaf.

"W-what?", the old man sputtered slowly as he turned his gaze on Owell.

"Owell, the old man seems deaf", Johann said.

Owell looked at the old man and the latter really is deaf.

Kevin went down from the cart and moved towards Owell and the old man. Once he knows that he is within hearing range of the old man, he spoke.

"Old man, what's with the face of the city folks all around here?", Kevin asked.

"T-the-they are here", the old man said.

"Who's here?", Kevin asked.

"Those winged-fire breathing beasts of death, they are here", the old man said.

"_Oh shit_", Owell thought, "_We need to inform the guys back there about this or they're gonna get fucked._"

"Thanks for the answer old man", Kevin said as he signaled Owell to come back at the cart after guiding the old man to a corner of the street where the old man can't be run over.

Once they are on the cart, Joel whipped the reins causing the horse to move again and pulling the cart in the process.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the port town of Rouen…**

**2040 Hours…**

The port town of Rouen is a large Tristanian town located just a few kilometers away from the Germanian-Tristanian border. Since it is close to the sea due to its port status, Rouen acts as a harbor for ships bringing in products from Albion as well as for exporting Tristain's own products overseas. Due to this, Rouen is an important town for Tristain as this is one of the few ports that bring in commerce and trade to the kingdom. Losing this port town can have some serious setbacks associated wit it.

Large docking cranes litter the area facing the open blue seas on the horizon and trading barges are docked everywhere with the cranes busy lifting the cargo off the barges. There are also other barges… no, it is more proper to say as warships docked on the port as well due to the large and long cannons mounted on the warships. The warships in question belong to the Germanian navy as evident on the coat of arms emblazoned on the masts and sails of the behemoth warships. However, there are also several warships bearing the Tristanian royal emblem on the port and these are docked side by side with their Germanian counterparts.

On the grounds near the docks where the warships are docked, lots of soldiers bearing emblems of Tristain and Germania in their armors are busy moving to and fro all around the area. Suddenly, a soldier wearing what seems to be a better-looking armor stopped and looked at his comrades before speaking.

"Attention!", the soldier in distinct Germanian armor shouted in a military tone.

The soldiers, clad in Tristanian and Germanian armors, stood in attention in front of what appears to be their commanding officer. Their weapons clanged as they stood straight in position.

As soon as the Germanian officer thought that the men are in order, he spoke.

"All soldiers listen up", the Germanian officer began, "The reason why we are all here is that our kingdoms called forth our services for battle. As you probably all know, a civil war has broken out in Albion a week ago and we are to move in and quell down whichever side wins. Is that clear?"

"Sir, yes Sir!", the soldiers shouted in unison.

"Good", the Germanian officer replied, "All of you are dismissed. You are all free to do whatever you want but I want all of you not to do anything stupid."

The soldiers nodded as the officer dismissed them.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a large room of a building, Armaghe…**

**2100 Hours…**

"Man, I'm beat!", Johann exclaimed.

"Cut it out Johann, at least we found an inn at last", Joel said as Owell and Kevin heaved up their meager belonging inside the room.

"Anyways, this room is quite large!", Johann said optimistically.

"Yeah, they really have to cut down on costs in order to scavenge what is left", Owell stated as he looked at every corner of the room.

The room itself has four beds fit for a small group of travelers such as them and has all the needed necessities. Actually, the room is originally rented at a high price but the news of the rebellion and the Reconquista government's lockdown of all the remaining cities and towns at their command made things really worse for travelers as they will not be able to travel due to the lockdown. The inn keepers suffered here as their customers, the travelers, will not be able to come because of this. In order to still earn money, almost every single inn keeper has decided to cut down prices.

Owell and Kevin heaved up their belongings on the beds and started unpacking. For a traveling group, they have all the necessities except that all look crude yet still reliable.

"Okay, how are we supposed to send out a message back at our guys there?", Johann asked.

Before any could respond, the group heard a knock on the window. The group tensed at what it is but they slowly reached for the window and brushed aside the curtain to reveal a pigeon knocking on the window with its beak.

"Geez, it's just a pigeon", Owell said as he breathed deeply and gazed at the bird.

Kevin opened the window causing the pigeon to enter the room. As it landed, the group can clearly see a piece of paper tied to the pigeon's feet.

"Hey, it's carrying something!", Johann said as he pointed his finger on the paper tied to the bird.

Kevin untied the paper on the pigeon and unrolled the paper. He then read what's inside.

"So what does it say?", Joel then asked.

"Guys, this is a messenger pigeon", Kevin answered as Johann closed the window, "And the paper says that we should write all that we saw in this city and tie it to the pigeon which will then fly back to Durhen."

"I see", Joel said, "They really backed us up."

"Yeah, let's write everything that we saw here", Johann said enthusiastically.

"Wait, how does that pigeon found us?", Owell asked.

"Messenger pigeons are specifically trained for this task. Don't ask me. All I know is that these little guys can do their job", Kevin explained.

Without any further questions, Owell wrote all of the Intel report that they mustered which also includes a mention of the dragon knights. This will make their friends in Durhen better prepared against these winged fire-breathing beasts. As Owell is writing, Johann grabbed some bread and water then fed the pigeon so it won't get hungry that easily on its flight run to Durhen.

"Done", Owell said as he tied the paper carrying the Intel report on the pigeon's leg.

As soon as the paper is tied tightly on the pigeon's leg, Joel opened the window to let the pigeon out.

As the pigeon slowly became smaller from the view, all that they can do is hope and wait that the guys back at Durhen will do fine. They closed the window and put the curtains back when everything was done.

"Okay guys, we'll be going to do a lot of recon op tomorrow so let's rest", Joel said to the group.

* * *

**At the Palace of Londonium's Imperial Quarters…**

**2400 Hours…**

The palace of Londonium, like those of the other kingdoms, is a very large castle. It is already midnight but Emperor Cromwell is still awake in his quarters and is perspiring nervously. The reason of all of his worries is that one of King Joseph's agents, a woman who goes by the name of Sheffield, came up to him just an hour ago and ordered him to put this rebellion in order or else…

_Flashback… an hour ago_

_Emperor Cromwell is watching the reports coming at his office with a grim look on his eyes. The papers are all requests from the nobles in charge of various cities and large towns about additional troops in order to maintain control of their areas against possible rebellions from breaking out. Ever since the unidentified rebel group started to make its offensive, nobles throughout Albion are requesting more and more troops to stave off the disturbingly powerful rebels that have already killed scores of mages within a week. He didn't expect these unknown rebels to do damage as worse as this considering that they have no mages of their own. Consequently, how can they do this? This is the question that has been bogging Cromwell's mind up to now. He can't think of anything that will allow the rebels to do something like this except magic though this is immediately crossed out as the new rebels are just a bunch of peasants._

_As the Albion emperor is contemplating on his dilemma, a gust of wind blew through the open window causing the curtains to move. Cromwell shielded his eyes from the sudden gust of wind that came inside the room. When the wind subsided, he put his arms down and was shocked to see somebody familiar._

"_It's been a while since we last met… Emperor Cromwell", a hooded figure spoke in a female tone._

"_Sheffield, I have no time for pleasantries", Cromwell said as he regained his composure, "I am preoccupied in dealing with these new rebels so what do you want?"_

_Sheffield took of her hood and smirked before replying._

"_Actually, that's why I am here", Sheffield stated._

_Cromwell placed a glare on her before he spoke._

"_What do you mean?", Cromwell asked._

"_Master Joseph wants this rebellion crushed immediately and you are to use every means possible to quell them down", Sheffield spoke, "That is what my master wants."_

"_I know", Cromwell said, "I have already dispatched a group of dragon knights in order to assist in eliminating them. The rebels will be dead by the next day."_

_Sheffield smiled and spoke._

"_I see but Master Joseph also wants that you hand over the leader of the rebels if possible", Sheffield stated, "Master became interested in the exploits of these rebels and… he wants to have a little chat with their leader. That rebel leader piqued my Master's interest. I hope you can catch him alive."_

_Cromwell frowned at this odd demand._

"_And what is interesting from a lowly scum of a commoner?", Cromwell asked._

"_Only my Master knows", Sheffield replied back, "I'm sure you are fully aware about my Master's odd tendencies… right?"_

_Cromwell just sighed before he replied._

"_I know", Cromwell stated, "But if the rebel leader becomes impossible to be captured. I will not hesitate to have him killed on the battlefield do you understand?"_

"_How brutal", Sheffield commented, "I heard about the lies… I mean news that the rebels are burning the churches. You won't really hold no restraint when it comes to killing dissidents don't you?"_

"_Don't give me that opinion. I am using all means necessary even if I have to lie", Cromwell replied back, "Even your Master does these kinds of things though I am quite impressed that he can hide all of them and still save face."_

"_That is my Master's specialty", Sheffield replied happily, "Regardless, I am also here in order to hand over something that Master wants you to use."_

_Sheffield took out a box and handed it over to Cromwell who opened it. Much to the Albion emperor's surprise, it contained a ring… not just a simple ring… the Ring of Andvari._

"_This…", Cromwell said but he was cut off by Sheffield._

"_Yes, that is indeed the Ring of Andvari", Sheffield said._

"_Why would he hand over to me such a powerful artifact?", Cromwell asked._

"_As I have already said, Master has odd tendencies of doing things… and he just wants you to use the ring in order to see how the rebel leader will respond. He also said that you can have fun using the ring against the rebels", Sheffield explained._

"_I see", Cromwell said calmly, "Does King Joseph have other things that need my attention?"_

_Sheffield put her hood back on before replying._

"_That's all of it", Sheffield said as the gust of winds came back, "Until then."_

_Just as Sheffield said the last word, the gust of winds became powerful causing Cromwell to shield his eyes again. By the time he lowered his arms. Sheffield is already gone._

_Flashback end_

That's one of the consequences of the secret treaty that he agreed with King Joseph. Cromwell face palmed himself. In addition to the secret treaty that tied him, he is also worrying too much about the threat that the new rebels are posing. Sure, they did manage to kill a large number of his soldiers over a week but that will not last long. Yes, that's it. The rebels are just lucky and all luck runs out. He calmed himself on the grounds that since he sent the dragon knights on an attack mission along with the Imperial Army group stationed in Armaghe to the village of Durhen. The Imperial Army will be bearing down on the rebels with the sheer weight of firepower that they can unleash and Brimir's guidance will help them claim victory. By the end of tomorrow's day, the rebels will be losing battle after battle and he is sure of it.

Cromwell reclined on his seat as everything he had planned is set into motion.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Durhen…**

**0800 Hours…**

It was a clear sunny day the next day. Everything seems peaceful except for the village of Durhen. In this village, men armed with rifles and machine guns are making preparations from a suspected Reconquista attack as seen from their movements which comprise mostly of them moving to and fro carrying ammunition for the guns and howitzers. Aside from men, women and children as young as 15 years old are already carrying rifles as well. Due to manpower issues, Ian, the ALC commander of Durhen, have authorized the recruitment of teens as young as this age in order to aid in the defense of Durhen. Ian didn't like this setup but desperate situations require desperate actions… and this situation is a perfect example of it. However, those same people were also given their own sets of armor and steel helmets like the troopers who comprise the ALC's fighting force in order to increase their survivability rate. As of now, the ALC garrison base of composed of 2000 men capable of fighting not including the members of the Rear-end squads. This number is thanks to those same women and children that volunteered to take up arms.

As men do their tasks, Mark is supervising everything with Ian and James accompanying him.

"General, why are you here?", Ian asked.

"I'm here because I personally want to ensure that this place will hold out", Mark replied, "Besides, having the overall commander in this place will boost up our men's morale isn't it?"

"Yeah I know", Ian replied, "It's kinda different compared to those egocentric nobles. They just give the order and that's all. They only appear just to show off."

"That's because these bastards are just a bunch of dandy cowards", James interrupted causing Mark and Ian to look at him.

"Cowards?", Ian asked with a confused look on his face.

"They send their own soldiers to their deaths while they just lay down comfortably from their fucking horses!", James said in anger.

"Calm down, commander", Mark said, "Once we win this war, we're going to land the hammer right on them."

Ever since the Ranger team was sent into this world, they became the leaders of the ALC with Mark as the overall commander while the other rangers assumed commander status. Suffice to say, instead of their ranks from the US military, they assumed high-ranking positions in this resistance force.

Just as the three leaders are having a conversation, an ALC trooper carrying a shovel in addition to his rifle came up to the three and saluted.

"Commanders, all of the demo traps have been set at their pre-defined locations and the howitzers are all ready to fire at a moments notice", the ALC trooper said.

"Good", Mark said, "What about the gunners right on the second floors of the houses?"

"They are all locked and loaded, general", the ALC trooper said.

"I see", Mark replied, "Now go back to your post; I want all men ready to fire once the battle commences."

The ALC trooper saluted before going away. The three leaders then looked at each other before Mark spoke.

"Alright, let's go to our posts", Mark said to which Ian and James knew what it meant.

The three leaders parted ways as they go to their respective areas from which they will give orders to the ALC troopers stationed there. James went up to one of the two-storey houses and was greeted by an ALC machine gunner crew who saluted when he got up.

"Commander!", the eight men that comprise the gunner crew who are all wearing forest-style camouflage clothing and steel helmets at the top of the house that James went up to and greeted him in formal military protocol. Therefore, James returned the favor and then asked them about the situation.

"What's the status?", James asked.

"We're ready to fire, commander", one of the ALC troopers said, "The machine guns are all aimed at the sky and we're prepared to gun down all hostile flying targets."

"I see", James said as he looked at the place which is fortified by several slabs of steel to shield the gunner crew from the likely incoming attack from the dragon knights stated in the Intel report that came from the infiltrator team that went to Armaghe. Wooden boxes holding magazines of machine guns and rifles are also littered around the place.

"Alright, man the guns", James said, "Relay this to the other gunners."

One of the men nodded and hurried downwards to inform the other gunner crews about the order. The second storey of the house that James went into is located at the center of the village and is also the highest. This gives James full view of the area. The village is ringed with several two-storey houses providing a reliable line of cover for the ground forces. This means that the howitzer crews and troopers on the ground can engage the enemy's ground forces without worrying from the dragon knights as the winged beasts will be taken care of by the machine gunners.

From James vantage point, he can already see the gunners on the other second floors of the houses cocking their machine guns ready to fire at any hostiles. He smiled with satisfaction as he cocked his own M16A4 rifle and prepared as well.

Meanwhile, at the ridges overlooking the horizon, Mark is busy supervising the howitzer crews in preparing the howitzers. The howitzers will not only be firing fragmentation shells but High Explosive shells as well in this battle. The enemy will be packing a lot of men and firepower so they should at least respond with theirs. The fragmentation shells will still be used in an anti-personnel role and this will become evident as the largest portion of the attack force will be comprised of standard foot soldiers that don't have any protection against shrapnel. The high explosive shells will be used in some sort of an anti-armor role. And their primary targets will be the mages and their summons which most likely are golems.

"All men, double time!", Mark ordered causing the men preparing the howitzers to hasten their efforts.

As the howitzers are being prepared, Ian is pre-occupied in arranging the men at the ramp connecting the low ground to the high ground of the village in proper battle formations. The plan is to use the natural topographic features of the village in such a way that a force of at least a hundred men can hold off the avalanche of more than five hundred enemy soldiers attacking at once. He watched as the men positioned themselves on the ridgeline of the cliffs which are fortified with sandbags and their guns all aimed towards where the enemy will appear.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the outskirts of Durhen…**

**0900 Hours…**

The Imperial Army group from Albion has arrived in Durhen ready to stomp the rebels in one go. With their numbers boasting to an impressive 6000 fighting men which doesn't include their mages which, in turn, numbers to around 90, the commander of this attack force is confident that the rebels will be mopped down in no time. Aside from the aforementioned manpower, the attack force is also complimented by a group of 60 dragon knights acting as air support.

Mounted atop his dragon, Viscount Willard Fraser is the one leading the large attack force straight into Durhen. After several minutes of waiting, he can already see their target village from the horizon… and he can already smell blood as he neared the village. Currently, he is not wearing any serious armor around him for two reasons. One, he already decided that he will just watch the battle from afar relaying orders to his soldiers. And two, none of the enemy can reach him as he will simply cast a fireball at the insolent fool that will dare attack him.

In the next few minutes, Viscount Fraser can already make out of what the things are sticking out off the cliffs. Feeble barricades made of sack and earth, outlines of what seem to be cannons that are even smaller than what the Albion Imperial Army uses, and rebels pointing their muskets towards them. Viscount Fraser can only smirk either of amusement or pity at the worthless defense that the rebels are putting up.

With a confident smile on his face, Viscount Fraser ordered the attack force to charge in. Scores of men arrayed in rectangular formations charged at full speed towards the village. The attack force consists of mounted cavalry armed with lances and shields with foot soldiers armed with muskets and spears following closely behind. As the men continue to charge, a resounding CLICK was heard beneath the ground that they stepped on and the next thing that happened is a… BOOM.

A violent explosion suddenly erupted from where the soldiers used to stand a moment ago. The explosion sent men flying upwards and flesh with drops of blood began to rain down. Aside from that, screams of pain became prevalent throughout the scenery as the soldiers that survived are bleeding badly or losing a part of them as a result. Viscount Fraser's smirk was suddenly replaced with that of shock. Just as he was recovering from what happened, another explosion erupted claiming another large chunk of his men. To make matters worse, several explosions simultaneously erupted causing heavy damage to his attack force. All in all, the explosions caused by the demo traps claimed about 2000 of his men.

Viscount Fraser gritted his teeth. How dare those rebels dare use a dishonorable tactic like this? Suddenly, a dragon knight came up to him and spoke.

"Sir, almost a third of our attack force has been wiped out, what are we going to do?", the dragon knight asked.

"Tell the 4th and 5th dragon knight teams to swoop in and blast the rebels from above!", Fraser said, "And have the mages cast golems to act as meat shields now!"

"As you order Milord", the dragon knight said.

With just a word, 24 dragon knights sped towards the village in an attempt to damage the defense line and allow the main attack force to move in. The demo traps produced a thick screen of black smoke when they exploded giving the dragon knights the chance to close the distance without being spotted. At the same time, mages began to chant causing the earth to rock violently and raise up which eventually turned into 15-meter golems. The mages then ordered the newly created golems to advance and sweep the ground of any explosives that the rebels might have set up. As the golems moved, several explosions erupted causing some of the golems to stagger and eventually crumble down due to the damage. However, this made the ground safe to cross and the rest of the attack force continued to charge in although the smoke that ensued caused some difficulty as the thick smoke hindered visibility.

The dragon knights continued to advance and they managed to get out of the thick screen of smoke. However, what greeted them on the other side did bode well for them. Dozens of musket-armed men were the ones that greeted them with open arms and the word that was shouted sealed them to their doom.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the defense line of Durhen at the cliffs…**

**0920 Hours…**

"Fire!", Mark barked the order.

Within an instant, hot lead poured into the unlucky group of dragon knights causing them to fall down. Like their leader, none of them are wearing any serious armor in order to ease the load of their dragons as well as give them more maneuverability. However, the lack of armor in this situation cost them their lives. In one salvo, 17 dragon knights simultaneously crashed down. The remaining 7 dragon knights that didn't get hit in the volley unleashed a salvo of fire at once with their riders casting big fireballs. The result was that more than 100 ALC troopers died in the blast and 6 howitzer pieces were destroyed. However, the next salvo of hot lead claimed the remaining dragon knights eventually causing them to fall down as well.

"Give me the damage report!", Mark yelled.

"General, we have a hundred dead, six howitzer pieces destroyed, and 80 wounded", an ALC trooper said.

"Evacuate the wounded", Mark ordered, "And have the machine gun crews ready to fire. Those dragon knights will be coming up real soon."

"Yes, General!", the ALC trooper said before going away.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the front door of Armaghe…**

**0930 Hours…**

"All of you scumbags! Hurry up before you have all of us killed!", a mage said as he yelled at the group of commoner infantry and cavalry following him.

The group was having difficulty crossing due to the smoke so a wind mage casted a wind spell causing the smoke to subside. However, that didn't turn out to be the best option. The smoke may have been cleared out but more than four dozens of musket-wielding rebels greeted them with the muskets pointed at them. Suddenly, they heard a word.

"FIRE!", Ian said as the lines of ALC troopers stationed at the top of the cliff opened fire on the caught-by-surprise Imperial Army group. Most of the men of the Imperial Army group fell dead the moment the hot lead bit their skins. To make matters worse, some of the ALC troopers are firing their ACRF-40 machine guns at them causing more damage. An earth mage was successful in casting a spell impaling several of the rebels with a medium-sized earth spike killing them in the process.

However, that didn't last long as well, as several of the rebels responded by firing their ACBG-79 grenade launchers at them. The 40mm grenades slammed into the mages disintegrating them into bloody bits of flesh. The remaining imperial soldiers were brutally gunned down by the rebels eventually.

"Commander, first wave destroyed!", an ALC trooper said as Ian nodded.

"Good, patch up the wounded and stock on your guns", Ian replied.

The men who were badly wounded but lucky enough to survive where carried away to safety in order for their wounds to be treated while those that remained checked their ammo reserves and held their positions.

The smoke generated by the demo traps finally subsided allowing the Imperial Army to advance without hindrance. However, this made them easy to target as well.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the defense line of Durhen at the cliffs…**

**0935 Hours…**

"General, the enemy attack force is within range of our howitzers. Requesting permission to fire", an ALC howitzer crew said.

"Request granted", Mark replied, "Use the HE shells on the golems. The golems are top priority so open fire on them first. Once they're all down, switch to frag shells and target the enemy's infantry."

"Affirmative General", the ALC howitzer crew said.

Within the next few moments, all of the howitzers situated on the cliff burst with fire and the HE shells slammed into the slow-moving golems who crumbled down due to the explosion. Some of the shells missed their spot but hit the enemy infantry near the golems causing casualty. As soon as all the golems are down, the howitzer crews all changed to fragmentation shells and systematically targeted the tight clusters of enemy infantry. The mages of the Imperial army we're not able to make a counter-attack as they are not within range not to mention that the enemy is situated atop high ground. This caused them to get pinned down by heavy howitzer fire.

* * *

**Meanwhile, from the rear lines of the Albion Imperial Army group, Durhen…**

**0945 Hours…**

"How did this turned out?!", Fraser said angrily as his attack force got hammered by the enemy.

"Damn those bastards!", Fraser snarled, "All dragon knights charge!"

With his war cry filled with anger, the Viscount charged forth with his dragon knights following behind. As soon as he got in range, he casted a large fireball and sent it straight at the line of howitzers.

"INCOMING!", a howitzer crew said as the fireball burned him to his death.

The fireball claimed about five more howitzer pieces including thirty howitzer crews who were charred to their deaths. The men who survived, Mark included, returned fire. The dragon knights accompanying Fraser got shot down by the machine gunner crews holed on the second floors of the houses as the ALC troopers out in the open started to scatter while firing at the Viscount and his remaining dragon knights. The Viscount saw as his dragon knights got shot down and shred to bits by the rebels' strange muskets which he finally noticed. However, with all the factors considered, Fraser knew very well that he's screwed here. His attack force has been destroyed by a large margin and that is a clear disgrace to him especially if the rebels were to capture him. With no other option available, he charged in with the intent of killing as many of the enemy as he can before being killed.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the second floor of a house, Durhen…**

**0946 Hours…**

James saw a dragon knight who seems to be the enemy leader ready to scoop in on the ALC troopers so he aimed his M16A4 rifle at the dragon knight and clicked the trigger.

"DIE YOU SON OF A BITCH!", James exclaimed angrily as hot lead began spitting out of his rifle and the dragon knight crashed on the ground full of bullet holes. Thanks to the scope attached on top of his rifle, James was able to hit the dragon knight right in the first shot. The ALC troopers accompanying him also fired at the dragon knight causing the unlucky dragon knight to get riddled by more bullet holes.

With the dragon knight dead, James breathed deeply and lowered his rifle. The ALC troopers came up and asked him.

"Commander, are you alright?", an ALC trooper asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine", James said.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Durhen…**

**1011 Hours…**

The battle is finally over. The village of Durhen was successfully defended and so it is still in ALC hands. However, it did caused the ALC a lot of casualties and some military hardware destroyed. Still, this victory is still a better option.

On the ground where Viscount Fraser lay dead, ALC troopers circle around the Viscount's dead body which is littered with countless bullet holes. A few moments later, the same ALC troopers parted in order to make way for the three ALC leaders currently present at Durhen.

"Commander Ian, you know this guy?", Mark asked.

"Yeah, this is Viscount Willard Fraser", Ian said.

"So this bastard is one of them huh?", James said, "The bastard deserves that kind of death."

Mark and Ian slightly nodded at James comment before the three decided to go away.

"Haul that body away and burn it along with the dead of the enemy", Mark ordered, "Detain all of the wounded enemy and juice out whatever information can be obtained from them and salvage whatever weaponry and armor can be recovered."

With that, the three went away as ALC troopers lift up the Viscount's corpse and landed it on a pile of dead bodies. After a few minutes, the ALC troopers lit the pile of corpse and it was now ablaze after a few moments.

_-TURN 7 END-_

* * *

**Battle Report**

**Combatants:**  
Albion Liberation Corps (ALC)  
Albion Imperial Army

**Commanders:**  
ALC – Mark, James, and Ian  
Imperial Army – Viscount Willard Fraser (Killed-In-Action)

**Strength :**  
ALC – 2000 troopers and 800 irregulars  
Imperial Army – 6000 soldiers, 90 mages, and 60 dragon knights

**Casualties:  
**ALC - ~200 dead, ~140 wounded, 11 howitzer pieces destroyed  
Imperial Army – entire attack force destroyed. Survivors taken as prisoners.

~ - minimum estimate

**PS:**

These are some character insights

**Viscount Willard Fraser** – based on Simon Fraser, a British general who was killed by an American Continental Army sniper during the American Revolutionary war. The way he got killed is a nod to how his namesake got killed during the American Revolutionary War: gunned down by a sniper (PS: James is using an M16A4 with a scope). For the identity of the sniper that killed Simon Fraser, search Wikipedia.

**Simon **– based on Simon Bolivar, the Venezuelan war hero who played a major role in freeing Hispanic America from the clutches of the Spanish empire. Trust me, Simon will play a big role later on.

By the way, Saito and company won't be taking too much screen time until the invasion of Albion by Germania and Tristain commences though they would be making occasional appearances throughout the Albion Civil War.

Off-story topic: My other two fanfics will be updated in a few more days. Just bear with me guys especially if you're also following them. College is a real heavy load for me.


	9. Turn 8: Weapon of a Genius

**Author's Notes: This is Turn 8 of this fic, guys. Sorry for the long wait. I got my hands preoccupied with a lot of college work during the previous week. Oh well, here it is.**

**Also, I tweaked something in this fic. I hope you guys won't criticize me for it. **

**Word of advice: Sometimes, ingenuity can also result in overkill.**

**Anyways, here's Turn 8!**

* * *

**========== Turn 8: Weapon of a Genius ==========**

"_Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."  
__-George S. Patton_

**A few hours after the successful defense of Durhen…**

**1308 Hours…**

The defense of Durhen was a success. The large attack force that was assigned to level the village was eliminated thoroughly with no survivors left. The victory spurred up morale amongst the ALC and it is quite evident by the greater efforts that the ALC troopers at Durhen are exerting in repairing the damages that the village suffered especially from the fireballs that destroyed some houses.

However, it also has a bad point and that is the casualties that the ALC suffered in the defense of Durhen. More than two hundred ALC troopers were killed while an estimated of 140 were wounded. Several graveyards were already in place and the dead were buried. More graveyards are being dug and it is estimated that all the dead will be buried by the end of the next day. Not all of those dead will be buried as a number of those dead were reduced to ashes when they were charred to death by the fireballs.

All over the village, men are carrying hammers, slabs of wood, shovels, and pickaxes in line with the reparations of the village. Even though the fireballs did serious damage to the village, it is a very lucky outcome that none of the houses were burned entirely, just charred on some parts.

Ian is busy overseeing the reparations being conducted on the village. Mark and James left an hour ago with a small group of ALC troopers back to Rodiz and he was informed that additional howitzers along with other materiel will be coming in the next few days to replace those that were destroyed. As usual, he is also instructed not to take any offensive until further notice which Ian is comfortable of as he prefers to defend his village rather than conduct an attack.

Suddenly, an ALC trooper came up to Ian and saluted.

"Commander, all of the village's two-storey houses has been completely inspected. None of them have been damaged in any way", the ALC trooper said.

"Good", Ian replied, "I want that all of those houses fortified with additional armor. Do it once all of the dead and wounded have been accounted for."

"Right away, commander", the ALC trooper said.

"Good, you are now dismissed", Ian said as the ALC trooper saluted him which he returned the favor.

The ALC trooper left Ian who returned on gazing the partially-charred houses as they are repaired.

"_We still have a lot of road to go"_, Ian thought, _"I hope everything turns out well."_

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Tristain Academy of Magic…**

**1327 Hours…**

Louise and Saito are in Louise's room in the Academy. Just yesterday, Louise's face is red as a tomato in anger but it is now pale as white in fear.

"Louise, can you cheer up now?", Saito asked.

"How can I cheer up when the princess just told us yesterday that I'm a void mage?!", Louise said with a fear on her voice, "I'm going to get burned to death!"

_Flashback…_

_Yesterday at the Tristain Royal Palace…_

_1200 Hours…_

"_I'm a what?!", Louise yelled in disbelief._

"_Yes, Louise", Henrietta said, "You are really a void mage."_

_Those words of Henrietta made Louise silent and shaking. Being a void mage sure is a big deal._

"_Uhm… What's the big deal of being a void mage?", Saito asked, "Are void mages any different than other elemental mages?"_

"_Of course it is!", Louise yelled, "The only ones that can wield Void is the Founder and his descendants. Anyone that dares to claim as a void mage will be executed!"_

_Saito stepped back from that declaration._

"_Hey! You're saying that people here get killed for just claiming that they're void mages?!", Saito asked in shock._

"_What do you mean by that 'just' you stupid dog?!", Louise yelled back in return, "Of course it is!"_

"_Calm down Louise", Henrietta interjected, "I already informed His Holiness about this information and he already gave you an immunity regarding this once news of you being a void mage became public knowledge . Also, Headmaster Osmond and Professor Colbert have helped in getting this sensitive information confidential up to now."_

"_W-What?", Louise only muttered in sudden confusion._

"_I apologize Louise for keeping this a secret", Henrietta said, "But the consequences of news about you being a void mage becoming public knowledge can be very unpleasing. I cannot afford to lose a close friend especially in this time."_

"_I-I understand Your Highness", Louise replied._

"_So… what are we supposed to do now", Saito asked._

"_I want the two of you to join in on the invasion force once it sails for Albion after the civil war concludes", Henrietta said, "His Holiness authorized that you use void magic in order to bring a quick conclusion to the ensuing conflict once the joint Germanian-Tristanian force lands on Albion."_

"_Is that the only thing we need to do?", Saito asked._

"_Yes", Henrietta replied, "And please, come back alive Louise."_

_Flashback end._

Saito hung his hands up in the air and waved it back and forth.

"The princess granted you protection so don't worry about being killed", Saito said.

"But… but this is heresy and I'll be treated as a heretic!", Louise spluttered, "I don't want to die."

Saito placed his hands on Louise's shoulders before replying.

"I'll be always be here for you Louise", Saito said with a glimmering sparkle on his eyes.

Louise looked up to Saito and felt embarrassed.

"Y-You dog!", Louise yelled as she started to whip Saito around.

"Owww!", Saito yelled as he got hit by the pink-haired girl's whip.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at another room of Tristain's Academy of Magic…**

**1340 Hours…**

Guiche de Gramont, the son of General Marquis de Gramont is inside his room alone. Just an hour ago, he received a letter from his father about the upcoming joint Tristanian-Germanian invasion of Albion that will commence at the conclusion of the civil war there and that his father will be going in that invasion.

The letter tells him that his father is asking him if he wants to go along with the invasion force. Being a member of the prestigious Gramont Family, Guiche knows full well that he has the privilege of joining military expeditions due to his noble status and, more importantly, the fact that his family is famous due to the well-known line of military leaders that it has produced. Considering all options at his hand, joining this invasion is a quick and easy way of grabbing glory for himself. Furthermore, he still has his honor and pride to maintain. A Gramont will never surrender… that is the code of the Gramont Family.

Guiche grabbed a piece of paper and pen and then wrote a letter. In it, he expressed his desire to join the invasion. He is the youngest son of the Gramont Family while his two older brothers are already high-ranking members of Tristain's armed forces. While his father doesn't actually expect him to show off, he felt that he needs to do it anyways in order to prove that he can also do what his older brothers can. It's his pride and honor that is in the line here. As he is writing, his mole familiar Verdandi is staring at him while crouched on the floor. Guiche smiled at Verdandi.

"Thanks familiar", Guiche said as he patted Verdandi on its head.

After taking his attention on his letter back, Guiche continued to write the letter. Guiche has no first-hand experience of battle himself and he knows it. However, he can't stop himself from wanting to join in. His hand doesn't seem to stop writing until he finished writing the letter even though there's a part of him that tells him not to join in.

As he finished writing, the door of his room opened revealing Montmorency. Montmorency saw that Guiche is writing a letter. However, she immediately knew what it is for.

"So… are you coming along with your father?", Montmorency asked.

"Uhm… I have no choice. I have to preserve my honor and this is my chance to do it', Guiche said as he went towards Montmorency.

Montmorency's face seems to show signs of anger at Guiche's answer.

"Are you out of your mind?! You're going to get killed!", Montmorency yelled.

"But I need to do-", Guiche was unable to finish his sentence as Montmorency tackled him and they both landed on Guiche's bed.

Although Guiche can't see Montmorency's face at this situation, he can sense that tears are welling down from her eyes.

"You might be that disgusting playboy that I know but I don't want you to die!", Montmorency spluttered.

Guiche was at a loss of words. Well, considering the situation, it's quite normal. He's torn between his loved one and his honor and dignity. Both of which weigh heavily on him and losing any of the two is a big blow on him.

"I-I'll promise that I'll come back. I promise that", Guiche finally answered as he calmed Montmorency down.

Montmorency looked up to him and her eyes were still welling with tears. The two went silent as they stared at each other. That silence was broken down when somebody spoke from the door.

"Well, well, well… Having a romantic affair before charging onto the battlefield huh?", a green-haired male student said as he rested his right arm on the unclosed door of Guiche's room.

"G-Gimli?!", Guiche said in shock while Montmorency flushed red in embarrassment, "What are you doing here?!"

The green-haired student now known as Gimli took his right arm off the door and looked at the two before replying.

"We got orders from the captain of the musketeer corps that all male students are to train for battle now", Gimli said, "Malicorne and the others are already at the field waiting for us. Man, you're lucky compared to Saito."

"Huh? What do you mean?", Guiche asked puzzled.

"Well…", Gimli began, "I checked first Saito in Louise's room before coming here and… uhm… I found them in a rather simulating situation. It kinda looked like some sort of bondage is going on there. If Louise happened to have a better body, it would be heaven."

Gimli began to laugh while Guiche sighed. Montmorency flushed red even more but she got even redder when Gimli asked her.

"Hey, Montmorency, you're not going to do what Louise does on Saito to Guiche are you?", Gimli asked.

Guiche jaw dropped at that question and he could sense Montmorency completely embarrassed. At the same time, he can't blabber about anything.

"Well Guiche, hurry up before you got whipped down by the musketeers especially the captain for being late", Gimli said as he went away.

With no other choice, Guiche came out of his room along with Montmorency.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Rodiz…**

**1400 Hours…**

After a couple of hours, Mark, James, and a handful of ALC troopers are back at Rodiz. The trip itself was uneventful. The group didn't encounter any Imperial Army groups along the way since they are moving within ALC-held territories. Still, the battle of Durhen was quite disheartening. Even though the magic of their enemies has quite a short range, it still hurts enough if they hit. Their machine guns maybe effective at taking down mages but that doesn't prevent them from taking casualties from magical spells if those mages managed to finish chanting. Something needs to be done.

As soon as the group reached the village, Mark dismissed all of the men accompanying them back to their quarters while he and James made their way towards the village's headquarters.

There isn't any much activity inside the headquarters of Rodiz except for the ALC officers busy sorting several paperwork most of which are Intel reports about Reconquista troop movements among others. The Intel reports are being sorted out to ensure that Reconquista will not be able to intercept their line of communications. James parted ways with Mark after they reached the headquarters as he is tasked with training recruits from the villages that joined the ALC to become officers. On the other hand, Henry and Michael are currently stationed in Odense to train the men there in melee and ranged combat respectively. Kenneth, on the other hand, is busy with supervising the weapons being built.

Mark went inside the headquarters room and sat on the chair that is in front of a desk. After several moments, the door opened revealing an ALC officer who saluted first and handed him several Intel reports that have passed the screening. Mark dismissed the ALC trooper with a salute before looking at the reports.

When Mark looked at it, the reports aren't that alarming. In fact, by how the reports are looking on, it's clear that they can relax easily. No reports of any field army-sized enemy force is advancing to their held territories which is a good thing as they will be able to fortify the towns and villages under their command in this situation. However, there are several reports indicating several small-scale skirmishes between ALC forces and Imperial army forces along the outskirts of the ALC-held areas. Those skirmishes aren't any threat as the ALC forces stationed in their territories proved to be enough to keep them at bay. The only danger here is that, without any proper backing and planning, those territories will be conquered eventually through repeated attacks as Reconquista boasts a large army in terms of manpower which allows them to afford heavy casualties and still win. The Imperial Army group that attacked Durhen was completely destroyed and Mark knew that this will likely thin out the frequency of Reconquista attacks once news of this became public knowledge. Besides, the leader of the attack force, Viscount Willard Fraser, was killed in battle and his death will likely crush the morale of the enemy once his death is confirmed. According to Ian, the viscount is a well-known figure of Reconquista due to his military experience earned during the Reconquista revolution and the news of a death of an experienced military noble will put the enemy on edge since they will get the impression that who they are facing can defeat them in battle if they are not careful. At the same time, this will allow the ALC to build up its reputation as they progress which will give them a variety of advantages like increased manpower recruitment rate, better propaganda tactics, and more effective psychological warfare strategies.

As Mark continued to browse through the papers in front of him, one report caught his fancy. The report in question came from their spies in Armaghe. The report stated that there are six black dragons, one of which is larger than the other five, which made the Dewfiel swamp, a swamp situated just outside the outskirts southeast of Armaghe, their nesting grounds. The report also stated that some weird lettering is inscribed on the bodies of the dragons though they were unable to make it out. Magical runes were the only guess the spies have on it. Also, they were unable to get much closer than they needed due to the risk of their cover being blown not to mention that the Imperial Army had reinforced their garrison in the city when the attack force assigned to attack Durhen left. The only reason why those spies have been able to see it is due to the fact that they have a plausible excuse for going outside the fortressed city. Besides, a large thicket of forested area has to be crossed first before Dewfiel swamp can be reached which made it even harder to get closer

The report itself is very odd. Dragons that have letterings on their bodies? This sounds weird… and interesting at the same time. Dragons rarely make swampy areas their grounds since it's an open area where their enemies can simply swarm them in all directions and these winged creatures are smart enough to select caves since it allows them to immediately see their prey… no enemies since the only entrance to their den will be the cave's opening and it also prevents them from being hit from behind and being flanked. As Mark loved to send a recon team to acquire visual confirmation of these… dragons, the Imperial Army garrison stationed at Armaghe is an obstacle on the way. The city needs to be captured first with the enemy garrison force wiped out before this could be carried out.

Seeing that there's nothing he could do, Mark set aside the papers but kept all of it especially the one that caught his attention for safekeeping. Who knows, maybe these will come in handy in the future. With nothing to do, Mark left the room and went for the weapon forges.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the weapon forges of Rodiz…**

**1420 Hours…**

Hammers can be heard clanking as blacksmiths toiled every single hour to produce weapons and ammunition for the ALC. Things got a lot more busy these days as more men joined the ALC. More men will mean more weapons to produce.

"Alright boys, double time!", Kenneth spoke loudly.

The sound of clanking hammers got louder and faster which clearly indicated the extra effort the blacksmiths are pouring. As Mark looked around, wooden crates containing rifles and other weapons are lying outside the forge buildings while some of the ALC troopers are busy inspecting the weapons for any defects or hauling them on carts to be delivered on their held territories to arm and support their men there. ALC troopers saluted at Mark when they passed him to which Mark casually returned a salute. Mark made his way towards the entrance of one of the forges which has been widened to allow larger carts to move in and out. As soon as he got inside, he saw Kenneth busy overseeing the activities inside the forges.

Kenneth saluted when he saw Mark.

"What's the status?", Mark asked.

"We're at full capacity", Kenneth said, "If the supplies keep coming in as scheduled, we can churn out well over five hundred arms and one hundred twenty howitzers by the end of the week."

"Good", Mark replied, "Anyways, I need you to design a new artillery-type weapon."

"Eh... what for?", Kenneth asked confused, "The howitzers are all good and deadly so why make another artillery weapon?"

"Well, those fuck-tards' magic crap can still deal heavy damage if they hit", Mark replied, "We need an area-of-effect-styled artillery to take advantage of their close and tight-knit battle formation."

"Oh… I see", Kenneth replied, "So we need a weapon for saturation bombardment isn't it?"

"Yes, but this artillery cannon needs to be light enough to be mobilized", Mark added, "The siege of Armaghe will commence by the beginning of the next week. I want that new cannon prepared by that time. We just need more Intel from our infiltrator team before we move in."

"Roger", Kenneth replied.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the outskirts of the village of Derent…**

**1510 Hours…**

"Men, keep firing!", Simon yelled as gunfire continued to echo across the area.

"RATTATATATATATA!"

"KABOOM!"

Right now, the ALC-held village of Derent is under attack from an Albion Imperial Army group. ALC troopers opened fire with their rifles while those armed with machine guns began to lay suppression fire. The ALC troopers are using the houses facing the outskirts as cover while the Imperial Army force's earth mages made the earth rise to act as their shield which proved effective in blocking the rounds from hitting them. Since the Imperial soldiers are not able to get close enough, only archers and skirmishers can do any damage while those armed with shields raised it up to act as an extra cover. This is the fifteenth skirmish in the week ever since the rebellion became public knowledge.

After all those years of laying low, Simon knew that this is the only time other than during his stint as an Albion Imperial soldier almost three decades ago that he got a true taste of battle. The only difference now is that he is commanding troops instead of being commanded. He had to admit, being a commander isn't an easy task either. As a commander, he needs to find a balance in commanding his men to keep them alive in the battlefield as much as possible, keeping his own ass safe, ordering his men to kick the enemy's ass, and kicking the enemy's ass himself.

"Launch cocktails at those bastards!", Simon yelled.

Several ALC troopers complied as they lit the fuse of their Molotov cocktails and threw it. The Molotov cocktails landed on the other side of the earth shields and fire began forming from there. Due to the earth shields, Simon and his men are unable to confirm if the Molotov cocktails are doing any damage. Due to all the fire that they threw at the Imperial Army group, the enemy mages weren't able to cast a single spell as they are likely to get hit. But even without magic spells hitting the ALC forces, the ALC forces still received several casualties. The skirmish was already half an hour long and the ALC lost twenty men and eighteen were wounded by arrows from enemy archers and even javelins from enemy skirmishers. In exchange, the ALC downed about fifty men of the enemy not counting the 3 mages killed as well. The ALC were not able to use their snipers as the houses facing the outskirts aren't tall enough to act as a good shooting position for the snipers.

"How many have we lost?", Simon asked without letting his gaze steer off the earth shields that the enemy is using.

"Commander, we lost about twenty men and got several wounded", an ALC trooper said as he pulled an arrow lodged on the armor of another ALC trooper who was knocked down when a magic-enhanced arrow hit the unfortunate ALC trooper. But fortunately, said ALC trooper only received a bump and a pinch on his skin as the armor saved his life.

As the moments pass by, the earth shields that the enemy set up began to crumble little by little implying that the Molotov cocktails were effective in one way or another. Unlike the usual grenades, Molotov cocktails are used as a means of disrupting enemy formations or flushing them out of well-defended hiding positions as well as serving as some sort of an area-denial weapon.

When, the earth shields were short enough, Simon wasted no time barking an order.

"FIRE!", Simon commanded in a loud tone.

Rifles barked as hot lead shot straight and passed through the crumbling earth shields with several rounds while Machine guns sprayed their bullets providing suppression fire.

"Get those grenade launchers ready!", Simon ordered as ALC troopers armed with grenade launchers cocked their weapons and aimed it at the enemy's position. After a good few seconds of aiming, Simon ordered them to fire in a salvo.

The grenades whistled as they shot towards the enemy's position and exploded when they hit the earth. The explosions that ensued kicked up dust and earth making it harder to see the enemy's position. But Simon can swear that he heard the sound of flesh being blasted violently.

After a couple of moments, the enemy hasn't made any response or retaliatory fire prompting Simon to order his men to cease firing but still aiming. The smoke is still thick making it impossible to see what became of the enemy. However, the smoke began to subside eventually and what Simon saw after that put him at ease. As the smoke died down, he can see what remained of the Imperial Army's attack force began to retreat.

"Men, cease fire!", Simon ordered to which the ALC troopers responded.

The enemy has retreated which made the village of Derent still at the ALC's hands.

As the Imperial Army force began to shrink in the horizon, Simon breathed deeply. It was a real tight battle and he could swear that the adrenaline sure kept him all aggressive in the battle. He wondered if the battles to come in the future are as intense as this. This is just a skirmish so a pitched battle will be much more intense.

The village of Derent is another ALC-held territory that is close to Armaghe with Durhen being an example. However, unlike Durhen, Derent doesn't offer any serious advantages in terrain. But due to their weapons, the flat terrain of the village made it easy to target the enemy. Derent is smaller than Durhen but it still needs to be defended as it may compromise the ALC's battle lines if the Imperial Army is able to take it over.

"Treat all the wounded", Simon ordered after he was sure that the enemy is gone.

"Yes, Commander", an ALC trooper responded with a salute.

* * *

**Meanwhile, outside the weapon forges of Rodiz…**

**1700 Hours…**

Kenneth is sitting on top of several empty barrels thinking deeply. It's been a couple of hours ever since Mark told him to design a new type of artillery weapon. However, he still hasn't come up with anything at all. By default, artillery weapons are heavy. While there are also lightweight artilleries, those artilleries lack the firepower to make a serious punch on the enemy. Either way, the artillery he is supposed to design focuses on saturation bombardment. But this presents a bigger problem. The only artillery weapons that he knows to be up to this task are rocket artilleries like the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System and the classic Katyusha Rocket Launchers. Both of these are obviously heavy for their needs and they basically don't have the resources and technological expertise to build these things. Moreover, this new artillery needs to be available before the siege of Armaghe which will take place in the next week.

As Kenneth began to think more deeply, his attention suddenly switched to a horseless cart that had some empty wine racks on it and he suddenly thought something.

Just immediately, Kenneth stood up and went towards the forges.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the weapon forges of Rodiz…**

**1720 Hours…**

"I want all carpenters on attention now", Kenneth ordered.

"Uh… Sarge, what for?", a blacksmith asked.

"I need their help in crafting a new artillery for use in battle?", Kenneth replied.

"Sarge, aren't artillery cannons supposed to be built of steel?", the blacksmith asked.

"That's true but there are several exceptions", Kenneth said in return, "Now go and tell them that I need them here. Tell them to meet me outside and we're going to have a lot of wood works to do.

"Yes Sarge", the blacksmith said and saluted before going away.

* * *

**Meanwhile, outside the weapon forges of Rodiz…**

**1940 Hours…**

Carpenters are busy hammering nails into large blocks of wood to make what seems to be a cart with a foldable rack with holes on it.

"Uh, Sarge… is this really an artillery?", a carpenter asked, "This thing looks like nothing but a rack with holes on wheels."

"This is really artillery", Kenneth said, "From where we came from, this artillery is known as a Hwacha."

"H-Hwa-Hwacha?", the carpenter asked with the other carpenters also puzzled as well, "What does this thing do?"

"Well", Kenneth began, "This thing launches lots of arrows in a single volley. Its main aim is to blanket a wide area with arrows and, as such, it is very good at targeting large clusters of tight knit formations of infantry and cavalry that tend to move slowly."

"Then how does this thing work?", another carpenter asked.

"You guys will need a hands-on demonstration for that", Kenneth asked, "Okay guys; insert those arrows I instructed you to build earlier into the holes. One arrow per hole guys."

The carpenters complied and they did as they were told. It took some time as the Hwachas can accommodate a hundred arrows with each arrow about a meter long for a single volley.

As soon as they did as they were told, Kenneth instructed them to position the wooden construct now known as the Hwacha in such a way that it faces the forest.

"And this is how it is used", Kenneth said as he pulled a rope which triggered the gunpowder igniter of the wooden artillery causing all the arrows to fling out of the rack. The carpenters were surprised when they saw it, in just a few seconds, the night sky was filled with long arrows all flinging towards a single direction and the area where the arrows landed were littered with lots of arrows.

"Told you guys, this is very useful", Kenneth said as he saw the dumbfounded look on the faces of all the carpenters around him, "Now, shall we make more of these? I heard that we got a lot of excess lumber in our coffers."

The carpenters nodded and they began to set out building more of these new artillery. This will be a busy night and the next days now that they will be building something worth the effort.

_-TURN 8 END-_

* * *

**PS: About the part of Guiche, I just made that scene since I feel sorry for the guy. To be honest, almost all of the ZnT fics that I've read so far involves getting his ass handed to him in the process of the XXX familiar that Louise summoned in showing its capabilities.**

**Having Louise know that she's a void mage is part of the plot that I already conceived in this fic. Just bear with this, guys. The fact that Louise knows that she is a void mage at this point will help to progress the story in the route that I am thinking.**

**As for the new artillery, I'm sure Koreans knows this.**

**Also, what can you say about the Intel that caught Mark's attention? **


	10. Turn 9: Preparations

**Author's Notes: Finally, I'm done with Turn 9. To be honest, I was not able to write for my other fics yet except this as I got too preoccupied with Christmas. The only reason why I was able to write this is because I got inspired with several war films that I happened to watch. By the way, Have a nice happy New Year to all of you!**

**BTW, I got a lengthy and worthwhile conversation with Robo Reader 21 regarding several things. Some of the things that came out in that conversation will decide the events of future turns especially once the armored convoy arrives. To anyone that knows several important information of ZnT lore, please inform me about those so I won't end up twisting several canon facts by accident.**

**Also, my other two fics will be updated eventually.**

**Anyways, here's Turn 9!**

* * *

**========== Turn 9: Preparations ==========**

_"To lead uninstructed people to war is to throw them away."  
__- Confucius_

**Outside the weapon forges of Rodiz…**

**0111 Hours…**

A carpenter yawned as he took a short break after crafting several hwachas with the help of the other carpenters as the sound of hammers puncturing nails into blocks of wood continue to ring in the middle of the darkness.

It's just a couple of hours passed since Kenneth introduced the hwacha as a new artillery weapon. It's still dark but the carpenters who are involved are still building more of this new artillery along with its ammunition except that the arrows used in the hwacha have a short steel needle-like tip unusual for an arrow. The new artillery itself is quite easy to build as all of its parts are made of wood and no metal. Wood is quite easy to obtain as well since sizable tracts of forests surround Rodiz and almost all towns and cities of Albion. Also since it's made of wood, it is light and very easy to maneuver. The rope used to trigger the gunpowder igniter of the hwacha is also abundant.

The wide-open yard situated just outside the weapon forges is illuminated with lamps to allow the carpenters to work on the new artillery without concerns of not seeing due to the darkness. So far, the carpenters managed to create a total of twenty hwachas after Kenneth introduced it to them. Due to the pronunciation of the new artillery's name, as far as the Albionese are concerned, the hwacha is dubbed as the "Long Arrow Artillery" due to the long arrows that it fires per salvo. In terms of shorthand terminology, it is dubbed as the "LA" for "Long Arrow". Also, the construction of light howitzers has been stopped in order to make way for the new artillery as the villagers set out to cut wood on the large tracts of forests near Rodiz to help in the Long Arrow Artillery's construction. But even then, the light howitzers have been produced in ideal numbers to have an effect on the field of battle.

"Hand me more nails down here!", a carpenter yelled as he punctured the last nail he got on a block of wood with his hammer.

Another carpenter came up to him and handed him a fresh batch of nails ready to be used which he immediately took.

This has been what is going on in Rodiz's weapon forges. To say that weapons made of wood gets a priority is unexpected as steel is always considered as the best material to use in weapons. It appears that some innovation proves that assumption wrong.

On the other side of the yard, more men are busy chopping logs into blocks of wood to be used in the construction. Also, some are making wheels for the arrow artillery pieces so that it only needs to be pieced on newly-built arrow artillery pieces.

"Hey, how many of these do we need to build?", a carpenter asked.

"I don't know", another carpenter said, "Anyways, this is quite cheap for an artillery so we should just better stick with this."

"Yeah", the first carpenter replied as the two of them heaved a slab of wood to be built as an arrow artillery.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a large tract of unplanted land in Odense…**

**0620 Hours… **

The men of the Albion Liberation Corps, especially the fresh recruits, are being continuously trained in the arts of both melee and ranged combat. The training is long and hard yet the men don't show any signs of quitting.

In one part of the field, men are practicing in melee combat by jabbing large bins of sack filled of soft clay with their fists while others practice CQC maneuvers and some submission pins like an arm bar and some Russian Sambo holds.

As men practice in these melee combat techniques, another batch of ALC troopers are seen in full combat load out making a run as part of their exercise. The full combat load out of an ALC trooper is comprised of either a rifle, machine gun, sniper rifle, or grenade launcher, dark-green sleeved t-shirt worn under much lighter plate armor compared to the ones worn by Albion Imperial Army soldiers, a medium-sized sling bag capable of holding at least 9 stripper clips of an AC-1 rifle including the scoped variant, 9 grenades for an ACBG-79 grenade launcher, or 4 magazines of an ACRF-40 machine gun, a sheath housing an ACBK-1 knife attached on the trooper's waist, an M68 hand grenade strapped to the waist, and a round steel helmet. As far as uniform is concerned, this is what can be considered as the ALC's standard uniform of their troops. Unlike the Imperial Army's, the uniform of the ALC places an emphasis on camouflage since most of their tactics rely on defense, stealth, and various ambush tactics and strategies rather than brute force, dense battle formations, and head-on attacks typical of Imperial Army military doctrines as well as that of other countries. Also, due to the light weight of the armor, it allows ALC troopers to make sprints and run faster much easier not to mention that it will also allow them to fight in confined spaces like inside the rooms of buildings.

As men pass by on the background, more men are lined up in what can be considered as a shooting range due to the tin cans being shot off their places by men armed with rifles.

"Not bad guys", Michael said as he witnessed the barrage of rifle rounds blew the cans off their places, "Being able to hit a target at 500 meters. You guys are fast learners."

Back on the guys training on melee combat, Henry is busy on supervising their training. So far so good, the men are easily coping out with the drills on proper executions of each move. Their punches and kicks contained real power… not just some flimsy carbon copy of the moves.

"Looking good men", Henry stated, "Keep that up. We need to kick a lot of imp ass in the next week!"

"Yes, commander!", the men shouted in unison.

Back on the shooting grounds, Cecilia is practicing as usual with her shooting skills. It's been quite at least two weeks at best ever since that botched-up attempt on her life back on Rodiz on that fateful night. Right now, she feels good as new now that the wounds that she received during that time no longer hurts… at least.

As Cecilia ejected the now-empty stripper clip of her rifle, several thoughts cloud her mind.

"_Mother and Father…",_ Cecilia thought to herself.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_Rodiz (Several years ago)…_

_1300 Hours…_

_The sun is high up in the sky casting its rays of light that are hot to everyone's skin. On the village's square, a number of Albion Imperial Army soldiers are on scene accompanied by a noble wearing a far better armor compared to the soldiers. The plain-looking armor-wearing soldiers were busy setting up a gallows for an execution… of several people accused of being rebels while the noble just wait for them to finish. A large black dragon is also in the area and this dragon is the familiar of the noble commanding the soldiers._

_After almost half an hour of setting up, the gallows was finally erected. All in all, the gallows that has been set up is capable of hanging several prisoners at once._

"_People of Rodiz!", the noble wearing the best armor among the soldiers began, "I, Viscount Owal Ethelred, present you these heathens that dared to rebel against the King blessed by the Founder!"_

_As the viscount finished his words, the soldiers accompanying him herded the prisoners who are bounded with ropes and blindfolded towards the gallows._

_When the viscount was sure that the prisoners have been placed on the gallows with the prisoners' necks on the ropes, he continued to talk._

"_To go against the King blessed by the Founder is one of the highest crimes that will warrant death!", the viscount added, "As such, it is my duty to execute these rebels of the kingdom and heathens of the Church."_

_A young Cecilia is accompanied by William in the crowd watching the execution about to take place. The old man is quiet though anyone that will take the time to get a keen look at him will say that he is completely angry deep inside his mind though nobody seems to give a damn about it._

_Tears start to well down from Cecilia's eyes. Two of the people that are to be executed are her parents and this is probably the last time that she'll see them both alive. She lost her grandmother several years ago when she was accused of being a witch with no clear proof at all by the same viscount in front of her under the behest of a higher noble she don't cared to know and the Church didn't give any damn about it. Now, this same man is here to take away her parents under orders from that unknown higher noble again. She has three older brothers who were commoner soldiers of the Imperial Army but… unfortunately; they were all killed in a battle. With all of these things considered, her only family now is her grandfather. _

_After several minutes, the viscount ordered the execution and the rest is history._

_Flashback end_

* * *

Those painful memories clouded Cecilia's mind but only for several moments. She slammed the fresh stripper clip into her rifle hard showing that she's completely angry at that time since she couldn't do anything to save her parents. However, she now has a chance to exact her revenge. After a few moments, she locked the bolt of her rifle locking the stripper clip in place and resumed firing just a second later. As she fired her first shot, she heard Michael, who was watching her for a while, commented on her shooting proficiency.

"Not bad", Michael said after he whistled, "You have a potential to be a crack shot sniper if you keep that up!"

However, it seems that Cecilia hasn't heard Michael's comments on her. It's probably because she's busy practicing her shooting skills or she's just carried away by those painful memories.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a lumber mill in Armaghe…**

**0910 Hours… **

It was a clear day today as four teenagers dressed in typical commoner clothes are seen driving straight to a lumber mill in a cart filled with several logs of wood. The same teenagers are also carrying axes which they used on chopping down wood.

"Geez, why do we have to go up early in the morning and cut wood in the forest?", Joel asked.

"To earn some money of course", Johann replied back, "We're villagers so it's obvious that we need to do this."

"Yeah, yeah, right", Joel said in return, "Anyways, is it just alright that we told the Imperial Army patrol we passed yesterday about those dragons in the swamp?"

"We don't have a choice", Kevin answered, "Those guys are going to see it anyways."

"Yeah", Owell added, "Did you see the look on their faces yesterday when they got back on the city after that? Man, I'll end up laughing if I was not able to control it. Their faces we're too funny!"

* * *

_Flashback (yesterday)…_

_At a forest near Dewfiel Swamp…_

_1600 Hours…_

_Johann, Owell, Joel, and Kevin are in a cart all carrying axes in their hands with the cart containing several logs which the group chopped. They have been hired by a lumber mill owner in Armaghe to cut down wood on the forest situated on the outskirts of the city which is also near the Dewfiel Swamp. Now, they are heading back._

"_Okay… so why are we here again?", Johann asked._

"_Well, we're here to earn some money", Owell replied, "We just need to bring these logs back at the lumber mill."_

"_Quiet down", Kevin said, "With this, we got an excuse that allowed us to scout this area."_

"_Whatever", Owell said, "Joel, how far are we?"_

_Joel is busy driving the cart but he still answered._

"_I don't know but we've been driving for half an hour already", Joel replied._

"_Damn, I think we're lost", Johann said._

"_Just shut up", Owell replied, "We just need to follow our tracks to get back."_

_As Owell finished talking, Joel pulled the reins hard causing the horses to yank back which made the cart go to a stop._

"_Hey, Joel what's up?", Johann asked._

"_Something's on the swamp", Joel said with his finger pointed towards the swamp._

_His other three friends stared at the direction Joel is pointing at and their eyes widened by what they saw._

_What they saw are objects that they considered as dragons._

"_Shit", Johann said, "There are six black dragons in there. One of them is ridiculously bigger than the other five."_

"_Yeah, they also got runes", Owell added, "But their runes are all the same white star with a stripe running through it horizontally near their tails."_

"_But what's those things doing here?", Joel asked._

"_We don't know", Kevin replied, "Anyways, let's get away here quietly Joel. Those dragons don't seem to notice us. They aren't moving as well. We need to get out here while our chance isn't out."_

_Joel slowly reined the horse which, oddly, still remained calm even with six black dragons with white star-shaped runes inscribed into their bodies in front of them. Either way, that allowed him to easily maneuver the horse to have the cart make a complete 180 degree turn. As soon as the cart turned in the desired direction, Joel slowly reined the horse which made the cart move forward slowly. When they got outside hearing range of the dragons or so they thought, Joel whipped the reins hard causing the horse to make a mad dash of a run out of the area._

_As soon as the group is far away, all of them breathed deeply as if they were gasping for air._

"_Man, that was close", Owell said._

"_Yeah, screw up and we're dragon food", Johann remarked._

"_Let's just go back to the city", Kevin said, "I don't want to see anything that can eat us."_

_Joel gripped the reins tightly as the cart speed up faster. Everything that they need to do is finally done. However, as they trudge the unpaved road, they spotted a small band of Imperial Army soldiers and they are heading towards their direction._

_The Imperial soldiers saw them as they approached and ordered them to stop. The group complied and the cart went to a full stop. One of the soldiers went to them and asked them._

"_Why are you in such a hurry?", the soldier asked._

"_Uhm… We saw a bunch of black dragons at the swamp up ahead. We don't want to get eaten so we ran away as fast as we could", Joel answered._

"_Dragons?", another soldier stepped forward until he is now beside the first soldier, "I've never heard of that."_

"_We just saw them a couple of minutes ago", Kevin said, "Why don't you check it yourselves?"_

_The two soldiers looked at each other seriously before switching their attention back on the group of teenagers on the cart._

"_Very well then", the first soldier said, "But what are you people doing here?"_

"_We've been hired by a lumber mill in Armaghe to cut hardwood. The owner said that he's going to pay us more if we gave him high quality hardwood. We ran into a lot of trouble just to get these logs", Johann explained._

_The soldier took a few seconds to look at the group of teenagers in front of him. After that, he dismissed them._

"_Alright you people can continue on your way", the soldier said._

_Joel then whipped the reins again and the group continued on their way to Armaghe._

_Flashback end_

* * *

"Enough with the talking", Kevin said while Joel reined the horses bringing the cart to a full stop in front of the lumber mill, "We're here."

The four got down from the cart and proceeded to unload the logs. As they were unloading the logs, the lumber mill owner came out.

"Well, it looks that you're finally here", the lumber mill owner said, "How many have you got?"

"We got eight logs all in all and they're all in good condition", Johann said.

The lumber mill owner looked at the logs. After several moments, he looked at the group and made a satisfied face expression.

"Alright… Alright", the lumber mill owner said, "Here's your pay. Be lucky that it's quite big."

"Oh… sweet!", Johann said as he get the bag of money from the lumber mill owner.

The group then bid the lumber mill owner goodbye as they went away ready for the next thing that they'll do for the day.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a road near Diewfiel Swamp**

**1030 Hours…**

A large band of Imperial Army soldiers is en route to Armaghe. The group consists of mounted cavalry armed with swords and spears, spearmen on foot, archers, and mages riding on horses and wearing some fancy armor. They also have several 24-pounder short guns with them along with its ammunition stored in the gunpowder carriages with them as well.

As the band is advancing, the leader raised his hand signaling the men to stop.

"Sir, why did we stop?", the leader's second in command asked.

"We need to take a detour", the leader said, "We're near Diewfiel Swamp which is currently infested with six black dragons. We can't take it on with our numbers."

"Where did you hear that sir?", the second in command asked.

"I've received word of this about an hour ago from a messenger", the leader spoke, "It seems that those dragons have been found just yesterday."

"So what are we going to do now?", the second in command asked again.

"We need to make a detour even if that will cost us two more hours", the leader responded.

"Understood, Sir", the second in command said.

After several more moments, the entire band of the Imperial force changed directions in order to avoid the swamp infested with dragons.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the Palace of Londonium…**

**1200 Hours…**

Emperor Cromwell is inside the Palace's meeting chamber along with several of his most trusted aides. Right now, they are currently talking about the events pertaining to the rebellion.

"Viscount Fraser is what?", Cromwell asked.

"Your Highness, we received rumors that Viscount Fraser has been killed in combat", the aide said, "The rumors also say that he was shot by a mysterious musket-like weapon from behind and his remains was burned by the rebels."

"That is just a rumor. Why would we believe such a thing?", another aide asked.

"The village of Durhen that the viscount attacked is heavily defended by the rebels. Therefore, we have no means of ascertaining any events that are happening there. As such, rumors are our only means of getting information there", the first aide explained, "Furthermore, the advance teams that we sent in order to retake the rebel-held villages came back in failure."

"But they don't have any mages", a third aide said, "How can they do that?"

The first aide turned with a serious look before replying.

"As I said before", the first aide began, "These rebels have some sort of a musket that some of our soldiers say to be capable of hitting more accurately, faster, and harder. I have no idea how those rebels get their hands on these kinds of weapons."

"Do they have any outside support?", Cromwell asked.

"Very unlikely", the same aide answered, "These rebels suddenly appeared without warning and I doubt Germania or even Gallia has the means to support them since the rebels appeared on the northern part of the country. I also doubt if those two kingdoms will even do this."

Cromwell took the time to think. He can easily buy that Germania has no part in this as their attention is on Tristain at the moment. However, Gallia is a different case. Even with the secret treaty, he knows that Joseph will have no hesitation on suddenly turning against him. Furthermore, the Gallic king's agendas and motives are a complete mystery making him very unpredictable. Regardless, he asked a question.

"What's the overall manpower strength of the rebels?", Cromwell asked.

The second aide answered him.

"Your Highness, the rebels are stated to be at around eight thousand men and their forces are said to be spread thinly on all the villages that they control", the second aide explained, "So, if we launched a good-sized division of our military forces, we can mop them up in a one by one basis."

"But that will take several weeks before an armed force of that size can be mobilized and arrive on the battle zone", the third aide interjected.

"I know that", the second aide said in return, "But I cannot think of any other way to get at these rebels."

The group continued to discuss more matters about this rebellion. From how things go, this won't be a short meeting.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside a bar just a couple of clicks away from a military fort in Armaghe…**

**1630 Hours…**

People are busy walking to and fro on the streets busy minding their own businesses. From among this sea of people, four young teenagers are busy doing some observations while they spend their time on a bar.

"Okay, this is the last fort in this city", Johann said as he peered through the window overlooking a large military fort just a couple of blocks away from the bar they are in, "We better relay all of the locations of the military forts and other important places in this city."

"Yeah", Joel said, "But how many are they?"

"There are seven of them here all in all arranged in a ring formation", Kevin said.

"Anyways, let's get back to our room", Owell said, "I don't want to get us here spotted just because we stayed too long."

The group then made their way out by of the bar and blending in with the crowd of people as they walk away.

* * *

**Meanwhiel, on the yard outside the weapon forges of Rodiz…**

**1720 Hours…**

Mark is seen inspecting the Kenneth and the carpenters crafting more of the Line Arrow artillery pieces. The construction efforts are proceeding well. Raw materials such as wood are constantly coming in preventing a halt to the construction efforts. After several more minutes, Mark went away and towards a building. Inside, several men and women are busy sewing a large piece of blue cloth. Mark approached them.

"How far did you get with the flag?", Mark asked.

"We're almost done, general", a man said, "Take a look."

Mark inspected the large piece of blue cloth. It has one large white star with six tips on the top left corner with three stripes just near the bottom of the flag. It also applies to the other side as well.

"Nice work", Mark stated, "Continue with that, I want at least ten of these flags ready on the beginning of the next week. The siege of Armaghe will strike at that time."

"Yes, General", the man said as he continued to work with the others who also greeted Mark with respect.

The first offensive operation of the ALC will take place on the next week after more intel reports have been received and completely analyzed. Nobody is going to stopping this operation.

_-TURN 9 END-_

* * *

**PS: The siege of Armaghe will commence on the next chapter. Think of this as a filler chapter at least. Trust me; the siege would be completely unexpected. Stay tuned.**

**Also about the flag of the ALC, just look for the Flag of Aurelia in Ace Combat Wikia. That is how the flag will look like except that it has three thin white horizontal stripes on the bottom.**


	11. Turn 10: Battlefield Troll and Dragons

**Author's notes: Here's Turn 10 of this fic. Sorry for the long delay since I got tangled up in a lot of college work not to mention that I'm working on all of my three fics at the moment.**

**Spartan016 and anyone who asked for the Ring of Andvari, the ring will be used in such a way that the effect will be much worse than if it was used on either the ALC or the incoming invasion force. To clear things out, once the ring is used, it will NOT end well.**

**Mages will eventually be recruited into the ALC's fold but there won't be enough of them for the ALC to rely on.**

**Also, due to Dante von Einzbern's review, the Hwachas (or Long Arrow Artillery) used by the ALC will fire 500 one-meter long arrows per salvo not to mention said arrows can be flaming arrows, and tipped either with explosives or poison. Based on several info that I got from various sources, the Hwacha could be able to fire about 200 arrows in a single volley. In this story, the Hwachas used are modified in order to fire the aforementioned amount of arrows as well as have a MAXIMUM range of 7 kilometers.**

**Another thing special in this chapter is that I included real life stuff in this turn. If you read this turn till the end you'll know what it is. Robo Reader 21 already knows this while Sigma-del-Prisium almost get it ALMOST right. This real life stuff will be an old school one. Fuji92's strike witches fanfic is another reason that I managed to get this thing through (I'm a bit skeptical on using real life stuff on fanfiction).**

**BTW, if you read the Turn's title and the associated quotation, I think you should have an idea of what will happen here.**

**Without further ranting, here's Turn 10!**

* * *

**========== Turn 10: Battlefield Troll and "Dragons" ==========**

"_All warfare is based on __deception__. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.__"  
-__Sun Tzu_

**At the Palace of Londonium…**

**0910 Hours…**

It's the start of a new week for Albion but the problems caused by the new rebels are still persisting. The Imperial government's efforts to retake the rebel-held villages are bleak at best. The rebels are holding their ground with extreme tenacity and precision that they didn't looked like rebels at all. They behave much more of a professional army that demands respect. So far, everything is at a stalemate: The rebels kept their hold of their territories while the Reconquista kept their hold over the major cities and villages.

Within the confines of his office, Cromwell is standing in front of the window overlooking the scenery outside the palace. As the Emperor of the Holy Republic of Albion, it is his duty to keep his subjects in check. However, that duty fell into nothingness because of the rebels. Just who are these people?

As Cromwell is deep in his thoughts, an aide entered the room.

"Your Highness", the aide said, "Our scouts have detected a large mass of the rebels' forces believed to have moved from the large village of Odense to Durhen. This attack force is comprised mostly of infantry and cavalry with a sparse amount of artillery cannons as well as carts carrying unknown contents hidden by cloths within their ranks."

"What?!", Cromwell said in surprise, "When did this happen?"

"Your Highness, this rebel force just mobilized just this morning", the aide replied, "Our scouts are about to make some limited reconnaissance on the village of Durhen when they showed up. And uhm… our scouts also said that the rebel forces have several banners of sorts… possibly their flag or symbol."

"What flag?", Cromwell asked, "Are you saying that these rebels are as organized as our military?"

"No sir", the aide replied, "But I believe that it has something to do as to who they are."

Cromwell took the time to digest what the aide said to him before speaking.

"Well then, where are these rebels heading to?", Cromwell asked.

"Based on their estimated speed and direction, their target will be most likely the city of Armaghe", the aide replied, "I believe that they will try to capture the city by force."'

"How many soldiers do we have at Armaghe?", Cromwell asked.

"Ever since the late Viscount Fraser left there, we have two divisions of our armed forces currently stationed there for a total of about sixty thousand soldiers", the aide replied, "We don't have a dragon knight corps in the city at the moment but our soldiers stationed there have all the advantages needed to defend the city against possible attacks."

"I see", Cromwell replied, "Send a notification to the commander in charge of Armaghe's defense ordering him to engage the rebels once they are in range and capture the rebels' leaders if feasible. I want these foolish peasants dead."

"As you wish Your Highness", the aide replied.

Cromwell dismissed the aide after it. However, just before the aide can touch the door knob, Cromwell asked a question.

"How long will it take for the rebels to arrive at Armaghe?", Cromwell asked just in time.

The aide turned around and replied.

"The rebels are estimated to arrive at Armaghe after four hours of travel", the aide answered, "They are already on the move when our scouts found them."

The aide left shortly afterwards. Once Cromwell thought that he is now alone again, he resumed gazing at the scenery from the window on his office. Just the mere idea of the enemy coming right into his hands makes him feel good. Their numbers aren't a threat compared to his own military so he has nothing to worry about. All that he is going to hear in the next few hours will be that the foolish rebels have been slaughtered in the defense of Armaghe

Cromwell let out a smile on his face. For him, the situation is now in his favor… however, it is not.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the road to Armaghe…**

**1220 Hours…**

A large convoy of men armed with rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and other weapons are making a slow but steady advance on the only road from Durhen to Armaghe. As of now, the ALC boasts a total of about ten thousand men within their ranks. Countless young men from the territories that they held volunteered to join the cause either as frontline soldiers, scouts, artillerymen, or even as infiltrators. Blue flags bearing white stars and stripes below it are seen fluttering in the air as the men move. Also, horses are seen pulling long arrow artillery pieces with some of the horses pulling carts containing the meter-long arrow ammunition. The light howitzers are also in the convoy.

The front of the convoy is made up of dragoons, the ALC's cavalry armed with rifles, whose main functions are to act as a front guard and sentries to other friendly but slow moving assets like artillery and foot soldiers against enemy ambushes. Aside from that, they are highly mobile allowing them to be counted on as excellent scouts and hit-and-run troops on flat terrain. Since they are highly mobile, they can also serve as good skirmishers in open battles which are further enhanced by the rifles that they carry and these rifles are also the same ones wielded by the ALC's foot soldiers. This will be the first battle that the dragoons will be fighting which will mean that every single one of them doesn't have any combat experience at best. Their weapons, guts, speed, and sheer luck are perhaps their only assets here.

In the middle of this convoy, Mark is seen riding a horse and makes routine observation on the organization of the ALC's attack force. So far so good, the attack force is moving on good order. Things will get a lot better now. At the latest count, the ALC have a total of eighty long arrow artillery pieces ready for firing. Each of these can fire a total of 500 arrows per salvo. These artillery pieces will be crucial for one of his most daring approaches that he'll throw at the enemy. If it succeeds, they are going to capture the city with less trouble. However… if they screw up… things will get really messy.

James, Henry, Kenneth, Simon, and William are also on horseback and are positioned all around the convoy. Each of them will be leading separate groups of the convoy once it arrives on the city. Michael, on the other hand, is leading an advance force that went ahead of the convoy. His main task will be to scout out the target area, deploy a strong point from which the ALC forces can establish a foothold in their siege, and hold the area which is just a couple of kilometers away from the city until the main force arrives.

The convoy has been marching for a few hours now. Fortunately, no signs of duress have been noticed from any of the ALC soldiers. The likely reason is perhaps because that there aren't a single sign that they are going to be attacked en route to their target area. According to some of their "underground" sources, the Imperial Army forces currently stationed in Armaghe have fortified the city even higher. Consequently, the city is brimming with a lot of defenses and soldiers than ever. While this is quite disheartening due to the heavy fortifications that they are going to face, it gave them some breathing space as the enemy doesn't have any soldiers to attack them as those soldiers are on defense. The only reward that they have here is that they are on the attack instead of the other way around.

* * *

**Meanwhile, far from the outskirts of Armaghe…**

**1240 Hours…**

At the edge of Armaghe's outskirts, a moderately-sized ALC force took up position on a hill overlooking Armaghe which looked like a large gleaming circle on the horizon. Michael is on horseback and being accompanied by several dragoons as he observed the surroundings. One of the soldiers on horseback is Cecilia who volunteered to accompany the advance team that will scout and make a strong point.

Luckily for the group, there's not a single sign of any enemy force or a patrol near their area. All that they can see are the green grassy plains separating their position and the city. Considering the flat terrain, a head-on attack is suicide. The high walls surrounding Armaghe makes the situation a lot more difficult as they don't have the punch to knock them down or effectively hit the enemy defenders stationed on top of the walls. No doubt, all of the enemy soldiers are currently stationed inside the city. This will be one big and bloody fight… unless a little show of force is enough.

Meanwhile, the majority of the men accompanying Michael have set up camp. Tents big enough to accommodate at least six people were set up. Outside the tents, ammunition boxes from the carts where unloaded and men began to arm themselves. Clearly, they are all ready for some serious battle.

After gazing at the horizon, Michael got down from his horse, which was herded by an ALC trooper, and went towards Cecilia who is helping the other ALC troopers set up camp. As Michael approached her, he noticed several changes from her ever since the first day he and his team set foot on Rodiz. One is that she now sports a robust appearance, way too different when they first saw her. Two is that her skin seems marred by charcoal which she got from some serious marksmanship training. And three is her arms and legs are now more solid in stature… perhaps reasonable enough for an armed militia member. While Cecilia is old enough, 19 to be exact, Michael is still a bit disturbed though. He have a younger sister as old as Cecilia back at home yet here, in this world, is someone just as old as her sister charging into the battlefield. Perhaps, this is a grim reality of war. No exceptions, kill or be killed.

"Hey Cecilia", Michael said causing Cecilia to turn around to face him, "How's everything doing?"

"Everything's fine", Cecilia replied back, "We just need to wait for them are we?"

"Yes", Michael answered, "They should be arriving here in the next forty minutes or so."

"I see", Cecilia said.

"Anyways, are you ready for battle?", Michael asked.

"Yes", Cecilia replied as she cocked the lever of her rifle. Currently, Cecilia is wearing the standard issue ALC body armor and uniform with a sling bag strapped to her as well as a bandolier belt holding two grenades.

"Good", Michael replied, "Just rest up and prepare to move out on a moments notice."

Michael parted ways with Cecilia who then returned to helping the ALC troopers set up camp. Michael, on the other hand, joined a trio of ALC troopers currently eyeing the surroundings around them.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the council room of Armaghe's capitol building…**

**1330 Hours…**

The council room of Armaghe is currently busy. Orders to dispatch masses of soldiers wearing armor on foot and horseback to patrol the various pathways inside the city have been carried out. It has been announced that a sizable rebel force is en route to the city with the rebels' main objective is the city's capture. In order to forestall such an event, the commander in charge of Durhen's defense, Baron Edvard Montagu, have mobilized all soldiers inside the city. So far, Baron Montagu is confident that the rebels will be defeated here. After all, he got all the advantages he needed, a large contingent of soldiers under his command, a reliable group of triangle-class mages, superior weapons, and the city walls. As long as these factors are on his side, he will win.

"Sir, is it alright that you personally lead the defense yourself?", an aide asked.

"Absolutely", Baron Montagu replied, "These rebels are just a bunch of lucky bastards. We have magic and they don't. Besides, I heard that a great reward is reserved for anyone that can capture their leaders. This is a perfect opportunity for me to improve my reputation."

Baron Montagu strapped on the last part of his armor and grabbed his wand sword after replying leaving behind the aide. He is grinning happily as opened the gate and continued his way with four knights in full combat gear following him from behind. For him, this is perhaps the best part of his life.

* * *

**Meanwhile, somewhere inside a building in the city of Armaghe…**

**1350 Hours…**

"Damn, those soldiers are everywhere", Johann said as he peered on the window.

From the window, Johann can see throngs of heavily armed and armored soldiers on foot and horseback passing the pathway just outside the inn that they are staying every few minutes or so.

"Hey, what's up man?", Owell said as he munch on a bread, "Relax, those suckers won't mess with us. They're busy handling something on the outside."

The room the group is currently on is no different from the time they first boarded it. The interior hasn't changed at all. Kevin is currently on the other side of the room busy drawing something while Joel is away. Owell noticed that Kevin is doing something and went towards him. Johann, on the other hand, continued to peer outside the window.

"Hey, what are you drawing?", Owell asked Kevin as he approached.

"The dragons that we saw just last week", Kevin replied.

Owell inspected the sketch Kevin is drawing. As far as he can admit, the sketch is quite good. No doubt, Kevin is quite the painter.

"I'm drawing this so that the commanders can see for themselves the dragons that we stated on the report", Kevin added, "It's likely that they are going to ask us further details about it. It's just outside the city's outskirts after all."

Kevin's sketch comprised of a large-bodied object with two extended flapped wings on both sides just a good deal of distance away from the nose which sort of has a "pointed moustache". At the tail of the dragon, it has one tailfin sticking out on top as well as two more fins attached on the left and right. It also has the runes as they called it etched on the body.

"Geez, are you sure those things are dragons?", Owell asked.

"There's no other thing that can be like that", Kevin replied.

As the two are going to talk more, the door suddenly opened revealing Joel. He is panting hard as he rested his right hand on the door.

"Hey, what's up?", Johann asked.

"Well, everything just went up according to plan", Joel said as he panted, "We just need to sit down and have the entire thing play up."

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the outskirts of Armaghe…**

**1400 Hours…**

The main ALC attack force has finally arrived near the target zone. The advance team that was sent in to secure a foothold didn't encounter any enemy resistance. It is clear that the enemy really is on the defense this time.

With this in hand, the ALC established a giant strong point overlooking the city of Armaghe, long arrow artillery pieces where set up and loaded with fire arrows while light howitzers were emplaced on their pre-designated locations. The carts that are covered in cloth were stripped off f its cargo and out came are large and long logs painted in black. The ALC troopers set it up like how they do to cannon pieces. After half an hour of setting up, the logs were finally set up.

"General, all of the dummy cannons have been set up", an ALC trooper said.

"Understood", Mark replied, "Return to your post."

The ALC trooper resumed on his other tasks as Mark looked on the dummy cannons set up alongside the real artillery pieces. Since they don't have the manpower to take the city by force, deception is the only option left. The dummy cannons are actually large wooden logs painted in black and pieced on a wheeled chassis like other pounder short guns. From afar, the dummy cannons looks like the real ones. When it is placed beside an ACMG-10 light howitzer, it will look like a much deadlier artillery piece given its almost gargantuan size if compared to the latter. It's probably the "big brother" of their light howitzer except that it's a fake.

Mark smirked. Given their distance, the enemy defenders should already be seeing their artillery emplacements. It's just a matter of time before they snap and surrender due to their "artillery pieces" although this is assuming that the enemy commander in charge is a coward like most nobles. Still they need to put up a show if they want to make things a lot convincing.

To be honest, he doesn't know how many soldiers the enemy has at the city. Still, with the right execution of deception, it's likely that they will succeed. According to various information that he obtained, an average soldier in the Imperial Army under the previous Monarchial regime and the current Reconquista government can be considered a "mediocre": Improperly trained most of the time, a peasant conscripted for military service, underpaid, low morale, poorly equipped compared to mages, undisciplined, and all. While sheer numbers are helpful, it can become a liability if those numbers don't have the qualities needed to win a war. Seriously, this allowed the Europeans during the Age of Discovery to win battles against natives despite them being outnumbered by as many as twenty to one when they are searching for colonies to conquer since their soldiers underwent some reliable military training before they are dispatched into the warzone. While the circumstances are different here, the same theory still applies.

Casting all his thoughts aside, Mark barked an order.

"Commence the operation", Mark said calmly.

Within a moment, Simon and a few ALC troopers, the latter dressed in such a way that they will be seen as messengers advanced towards the city gates. The operation has begun.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the front door of Armaghe…**

**1435 Hours…**

Baron Montagu, dressed in full armor and armed with a sword wand as well as being on horseback, along with his personal guards and a sizeable detachment of commoner infantry and cavalry are waiting at the city gates of Armaghe. They are lazing around when they finally saw the enemy at the horizon. The Baron's sight caught the outlines of what appears to be massive cannons and clusters of infantry advancing. The former is what caught his attention. Cannons as big as that can't be afforded by such weakly-organized rebels so how can they have those in their possession? Still, he is starting to panic as more and more of those giant cannons are being emplaced and aimed at the city's direction. If all those cannons fired at once towards his location, it will not end well for him. He doesn't have any dragon knights to either scout out the cannons or to attack them skirmisher style.

As he is panicking down in his place, at which he is probably starting to piss his pants, one of his personal guards caught sight of a small group of men one of which is carrying a white flag which means that the rebels want to communicate. Due to the situation, it is likely some sort of negotiation with them on the disadvantageous side. Baron Montagu ordered all of his soldiers and personal guards not to open fire on the advancing group of men. The enemy clearly sees their own men as they advance so attacking those men will incite them to attack in retaliation which is not a good thing for the defenders.

When the small group of men are just in front of them, one of the men from same group spoke first.

"Who is in charge of this force?", Simon asked.

Baron Montagu wasted no time in answering back.

"I, Baron Edvard Montagu, am in command of this force", the Baron replied simply.

Simon turned to the noble on horseback before replying.

"I am Commander Simon Ravilob of the Albion Liberation Corps", Simon simply said, "I am here to send a simple and clear message from our overall commander. It is either you surrender to us or be annihilated to oblivion with our cannons."

Baron Montagu paled at those words, just by hearing the tone of one of the rebels' leader made him feel that he is fighting a highly organized military force not a ragtag band of rebels, brigands, and scum. No, he is actually fighting such an organized military force from the get go.

"Watch your tongue commoner!", one of the Baron's personal guards yelled in anger. That same guard then aimed his wand sword at Simon.

Simon smirked at the guard's words before replying.

"Oh really?", Simon said with mocked sarcasm, "We have about two million soldiers with us and we can all ground you down to your deaths if you don't surrender. The attack force you are currently seeing on the horizon is just a meager number. Our main attack force is just behind the hills."

"W-Why… you?!", the personal guard vented in anger.

Baron Montagu realized that it will doom him to his death so he made his personal guard stand down. He looked at the commoner soldiers with him and, like him, all are scared of fighting. The idea of fighting a large, well-armed, and well-organized military force doesn't present any sign of victory. His mind froze in thinking. No way out.

"Hey, what's taking you long to respond?", Simon asked as he watched with an amused expression the Baron's face, "Oh, maybe you want a little demonstration?"

The last part of Simon's words shook the Baron out of his drooling. When he finally regained his focus, he saw one of the men with the ALC commander pull out a signal flare and fired it at the sky. In the next few moments, thousands of arrows were seen up in the air and coming towards their location from the horizon where the rebel forces is located.

The arrows slammed on the ground but fall short of distance so it doesn't hit any of the defenders. A number of commoner soldiers lost their balance due to sudden shock when the arrows sank on the ground. The Baron's personal guards felt the same but resolved to keep their brave façade up. Still, it's quite hard to keep such a façade if meter-long arrows that slammed on the ground just a few moments ago have a chance of hitting someone head on in the next salvo.

"The first salvo is just a warning and a power demonstration", Simon said coolly, "I can guarantee you that the next salvo will get you. You have ten minutes to decide either you want to save yourself and your soldiers or die in a brutal bloodbath. Time is ticking, Montagu."

The Baron's psyche is starting to break up. He no longer cared if the rebel commander in front of him didn't address him by his title. The giant cannons from the horizon are already emplaced in such a position that they can fire a broadside already in a moment's notice. Word that the enemy force has two million men in their ranks doesn't sound any comforting. Sixty-thousand men against two million? How can that present a good result for them? With such a leader on the enemy side, it just snuffed any light towards victory and survival.

After eight minutes, the sounds of weapons clattering on the dirt are heard all throughout the place. Several minutes later, the entire city capitulated to the rebel force now known as the Albion Liberation Corps.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the council room of Armaghe's capitol building…**

**1730 Hours…**

It took roughly three hours for the entire ALC force of ten thousand men to completely subjugate the entire city under their control. It was risky but an easy task that was completed as planned. They didn't encounter problems regarding the take-over of the fortresses located inside the city but some of the people seem to be scared of them. Can't blame the townsfolk, with the Reconquista government spreading such news of them burning churches, it's the expected result. Still, a majority of the people in Armaghe is in good terms with the ALC given the fact it's all-commoner membership and it advocates ideals and beliefs favorable to the commoners.

Inside the former council room of Armaghe's capitol building, Mark and several ALC officers are discussing matters.

"Okay, we now captured this city", Mark replied, "Any reports?"

"Yes, sir", an ALC officer replied, "Commanders Simon and James have already captured the two fortresses on the south eastern parts of the city while Commander William is rounding up all prisoners on the city square. Baron Montagu is imprisoned along with his personal aides and guards. Their status will be based on your future decisions general."

"What about Commanders Kenneth, Henry, and Michael?", Mark asked.

"Commander Kenneth is pre-occupied with securing all the armories situated on the eastern part of the city while Commanders Henry and Michael have established a defensive perimeter on the southern and eastern parts of the city", the ALC officer answered.

"Good", Mark replied, "I want you to find these young men. Also, prepare a force of eight hundred soldiers. We are going to confirm the Intel reports about Dewfiel Swamp. Also, tell Commander Michael that he'll be accompanying me on this trip."

Mark handed the ALC officer the names of the four infiltrators which the officer immediately obtained. Suddenly the officer asked.

"General, how did you managed to force the enemy commander to surrender without a fight?", the ALC officer asked which made the other officers inside the room to look on their general.

"Deception", Mark replied, "Gentlemen, let me tell you one awful truth about war. It is hell. It does not revolve around honor and shit. All matters and aspects regarding war revolve around deceiving the enemy and taking advantages of his mistakes as much as possible. The brave facade and romanticism that the nobles color war with is nothing but an illusion."

"General, that's ridiculous", another ALC officer said, "Cheating in warfare is dishonorable.

Mark sighed. He isn't angry at the ALC officer that spoke of what he said as cheating. Given the illiteracy and ignorance that the people are experiencing in this world thanks courtesy to the incompetence of the ruling monarchy, this is expected. As how would he put it, these people need to be enlightened.

"Soldier, What about mages using magic against non-mage combatants?", Mark asked.

"Huh?", the same ALC officer asked in confusion, "What do you mean general?"

"Well, I'm just thinking that it's kinda strange that mages here attack combatants that can't cast spells despite the honor code that they are bragging about which states that they should fight enemies on equal terms", Mark said, "So how does lighting somebody up, who can't cast magic, in flames using magic be considered honorable?"

The ALC officer that asked the question backed down. It did make sense after all.

"And by the way, isn't it dishonorable to spread lies?", Mark continued.

"What lies?", another ALC officer asked.

"The Church…", Mark simply said.

The atmosphere inside the council room began to seer down quietly. Everyone inside the room knows what it is. The eerie quietness inside the room only lasted for a couple of minutes. After that, it was broken by an ALC officer that slammed his palms on the table.

"Those bastards!", another ALC officer exclaimed.

"Calm down", Mark said, "You can't expect anything good from these guys in the long run… with few exceptions. Getting angry in the event of war can spell defeat and death. All of you here are officers which mean that the lives of the men serving under you will be on the line when you enter into battle with them along with your own. Trust the men under you. Always maintain your cool, steady your aim, and fire. Those are the basic tenets of successfully winning battles in warfare."

The ALC officers knew what Mark meant. He is a complete contrast to the pompous and egocentric noble commanders typical in all of the kingdoms. He himself is a commoner yet he managed to defeat a noble just then. Still, the fact that they did reach up to this is already a proof that they should put their trust on him.

"Are there anything to tell me?", Mark asked.

The ALC officers shook their head in response.

"Alright, this meeting is adjourned", Mark said.

The ALC officers exited the room leaving Mark alone. As soon as Mark was sure that he was alone, he popped out the Intel reports that the infiltrator team produced. He looked at it again and smiled. Whatever this Intel report is, it's going to be worth the time… and he's going to confirm it himself.

* * *

**Meanwhile, near the Diewfiel swamp…**

**1935 Hours…**

A sizable force of eight hundred soldiers backed up with several light howitzers and long arrow artillery pieces have arrived near the Diewfiel swamp. Currently, the force is spread out around the swamp.

Mark is being accompanied by Johann, Owell, Joel, and Kevin. These four young men were the ones that comprised the infiltrator team that went to Armaghe.

"Uh… general, why did you tag us along here?", Johann asked.

"Well, you guys were the ones that saw it first", Mark said, "I want you guys here so you can confirm whether the stuff you wrote on the report will be the same that we'll be finding here."

"Oh, I get it", Owell said.

As the five people are talking, Michael came up and made some notifications.

"General, all forces ready", Michael said.

"Understood", Mark replied, "Move out."

The forces that were spread around the swamp made a slow advance towards the dragons that were stated in the Intel reports. The men manning the light howitzers and long arrow artillery pieces aimed said artillery pieces at the position where the dragons are sitting on. The water level in the Diewfiel swamp is at waist level which made it hard for the ALC troopers to move.

However, as the ALC troopers advanced, Mark started to make out more and more familiar traits on these so-called "dragons": Cylindrical body, wide flapped wings, an inverted T-formation tail fin… and is that a… propeller on the "nose"?

As they continue to advance, Mark saw a symbol that sealed everything up to his conclusion: a symbol that he knew all too well… An old school US Navy aircraft roundel. Wait… what?!

Mark raised his hand prompting all ALC troopers to hold positions. He spoke after all soldiers acknowledged the order.

"Well, boys", Mark began, "It appears that you spotted something better than a dragon."

"Uh… what?", Joel asked.

"General, what are you talking about?", Michael asked.

"Look for yourself and you're in for a surprise commander", Mark replied.

Michael focused carefully on the "dragons" in front of them. After a few moments, he showed a surprised look on his face.

"General, is this for real?", Michael asked.

"Sure it is", Mark answered, "The bigger dragon is no doubt a PBM Mariner flying boat while the five smaller ones are TBM Avenger torpedo bombers. Based on the composition, I'm going to bet this is the lost Flight 19.

"What?!", Michael exclaimed.

Mark proceeded towards the "dragons" and touched its hide much to the shock of the ALC troopers in the area. The soldiers panicked but Michael calmed all of them down.

"Men, relax", Michael ordered, "That thing's not going to eat us."

"How are you so sure commander?", Kevin asked.

"Well, by the looks of it, those "dragons" that you are referring to came from where we came from", Michael answered, "It's just bad that its rusting now."

Meanwhile, Mark then started to climb up on the "dragon's head" and stared on what's inside. To his shock, he could see a decaying body sitting on what seems to be a chair. He sighed before going back down. He returned towards the soldiers accompanying him and asked something.

"Does anyone know why these dragons aren't noticed in the past?", Mark asked.

"General, this place was once known as the Diewfiel Lake about seventy years ago", Kevin answered showing that he is very knowledgeable on the topic, "The Lake where the swamp now stands dried up due to various reasons ranging from square-class water mages using the lake as a training grounds to enhance their water-based spells to even drought."

"I see", Mark said, "Anyways, these dragons are actually called as "aircraft" and these things came from our world."

"What?", Johann said surprised along with all the soldiers present.

"Questions later", Mark immediately continued, "I want all of you here to participate in dragging these things back to Armaghe. Is that clear?"

"Yes General!", the men exclaimed in unison.

_-TURN 10 END-_

* * *

**PS:**

**The dummy cannons used in this operation are as large as the ****155mm Gun M1 (a.k.a "Long Tom"). This deception tactic is the Quaker Gun. Also, the way the ALC managed to force the garrison force of Armaghe to surrender is based on the "Quaker Gun Trick" (see Wikipedia for this) except that I up scaled it too high.**

**Also, Simon's surname of Ravilob is just the reverse of "Bolivar", the surname of real life Simon Bolivar.**

**Also, what can you say about the ALC's discovery?**

**Nobles (and who they are based on real life):**

**Baron Edvard Montagu – Admiral Sir Edward Montagu**


	12. Turn 11: An Iron Will to Fight

**Author's Notes: Well, sorry for the delay guys as I got tangled in a lot of college paperwork and some tests hitting me several times in a row. I originally intended to post an update in my TWGOK fic first and then on my AC-ZNT crossover before posting for this story. However, due to me being unable to write the correct words (I already have the flow of the next chapters for those two stories planned), I was not able to update them. Still, those two stories are NOT abandoned and I don't intend to abandon any of my stories. Also, college work is preventing me from writing.**

**Anyways, for this story, another reason why I got too slow to update is because I am currently designing several combat vehicles for this fic and those vehicles will be used by the ALC and its successor, the Republican military, using Google SketchUp 8. So far, the vehicles that I am designing are a Main Battle Tank, an Aerial Lander (think of a Landing Ship Dock except it's airborne and only capable of holding a single full-sized MBT or sixty foot soldiers), a Utility Truck, an Air Superiority Fighter, a Light Tank, a Battleship, and an Airborne Aircraft Carrier. The only bad part is that I don't have a rendering program for my designs to look realistic.**

**As of the current writing, both the designs for the MBT (named as the M8 Defender Main Battle Tank which is a nod to the cancelled M8 Armored Gun System) and the Aerial Lander are almost done. When I'm through with it, I'm going to post it likely on DeviantArt but I need to get a hang on it first as this will be my first time using it and figure out how it works (i.e. how to post pictures there). Strange enough, most of the vehicles that I designed first are those that will be used by the ALC's successor NOT the ALC itself. Anyways, at least I managed to build something.**

**As for the mages in the ALC, well, this Turn contains it. For the entire duration of this civil war, the mages of the ALC will be badly outnumbered by an extremely wide margin (around 1 against 40) and strategic planning will be required to make the most out of them.**

**Hmm… the Hwacha gained quite a nice reputation here in this fic huh? I never expected that. Guess it will be the ALC's iconic trademark weapon then.**

**DivineHierarch, to answer your questions: for the planes (and pilot training), that will be a long road for now. As for the other question, think of the Drifter Series except more bloody and dark (with heads blowing up, gut entrails flying everywhere, chemical weapons detonating suddenly and irradiating the target area with high levels of radiation, men being run over by tanks, men being cut in half/incinerated, howitzer shells whizzing in the air, machine guns mowing down scores of soldiers, 16 y/o people (Academy Students) getting fragged, giant boulders and earth spikes rising out suddenly, hailstorms of icicles, and more), and less romance (yeah, I suck hard at this stuff). If you find some of the stuff I mentioned to be too much, bear with it. War is not a pleasant place to be in. **

**Without anything more to say, here's Turn 11!**

* * *

**========== Turn 11: An Iron Will to Fight ==========**

_There comes a time when deceit and defiance must be seen for what they are. At that point, a gathering danger must be directly confronted. At that point, we must show that beyond our resolutions is actual resolve.  
__-__Dick Cheney_

**Diewfiel Swamp…**

**0112 Hours…**

It is still dark and the sun hasn't risen up just yet but Diewfiel Swamp is currently brimming with activity if the braziers, tents, and other camping equipments currently dotting the swamp are taken into consideration. The sounds of men shuffling to and fro and the braying of horses as men pulled the reins attached to horses are heard throughout the temporary encampment beside the swamp. Diewfiel Swamp is an unimportant place that offers no tactical or strategically important military advantage whatsoever. However, the presence of the dragons now identified as aircrafts have changed the situation. The once quiet and ignored swamp is now crowded with lots of men from the Albion Liberation Corps though many of these men are those that have recently joined the Corps after Armaghe's "liberation" as how the ALC put it. These men are currently helping the ALC to drag the aircrafts back towards Armaghe for safekeeping, salvaging, and, if possible, repairs or even reverse engineering. While the aircrafts are still stuck on the swamp, or at least stuck there, the corpses found on all of the aircrafts have been extracted out of the downed flying machines. It was quite easy to extract the dead bodies as Mark and the other rangers knew exactly where the aircrews are supposed to be located in the aircrafts. These corpses deserve a proper burial.

While this is happening, a contingent of ALC troopers under James' command has established a defensive perimeter situated just southeast of the swamp. Sandbags have been placed to mark the defensive perimeter and ALC troopers took post beside the sandbags. At the same time, Henry did the same and is currently guarding the southern part of the swamp with an equal number of troopers under his command.

Back in the swamp, Mark is seen busy supervising the first phase of the retrieval operation: dragging the aircrafts out of the swamp. It was no easy task, Mark knows it. Dragging five torpedo bombers in addition to one big flying boat is no easy chore especially considering the fact that they don't have heavy equipment like cranes here. To make matters much more complicated, they don't have the tools to repair these things. Consequently, even if they did manage to drag these aircrafts back to Armaghe, it won't give them any profound advantage. Besides, he and the rangers don't have any experience flying these things. They're rangers not airmen.

As Mark is overseeing the task at work, an ALC officer came up to him and spoke.

"General", the ALC officer spoke after saluting, "The recovery teams have recovered several additional M2 heavy machineguns inside the bigger aircraft as well as several metal tubes. Based on the inspection, the machine guns seem to be still in working order. Lots of ammunition for it has also been found inside the aircraft as well as for several other weapons."

"I see", Mark replied, "Guide me to where the recovered weapons are found."

It was a good thing that Kenneth informed the ALC officers and soldiers of the weapons that they, the rangers, use back in their world after the planes were found. Even though they don't have working examples, Kenneth's illustrations of it are well-defined allowing the officers and soldiers to know what are these things. Guess a gun nut is always a good choice in these tasks. Now, with such weapons recovered, it's now possible to have the men of the ALC be accustomed to these new weapons.

The ALC officer nodded and started to walk prompting Mark to follow to which he complied. The two walked for several minutes until they reached the other end of the encampment. After finished walking, the two ended up in front of a large tent and a large table is set up in front of it making the table act as some sort of an obstacle between the two people and the tent. However, that isn't the case as the same table is currently laden with the recovered weapons.

Mark can clearly see it despite the dark of the night. Eight M2 Heavy Machine guns, six M1911 handguns, four Thompson Submachine guns and, four M1 Carbines are currently lying on the table and he can also see three Mk. 19 torpedoes lying on the ground with Kenneth carefully and meticulously inspecting each and every of them.

Mark called out Kenneth's attention which caused the latter to respond accordingly.

"So what's the status of the recovered hardware?", Mark asked.

"Pretty good", Kenneth answered, "All of them are in good condition. It's fortunate that the small arms are in some water-sealed containers so they weren't clogged with water unlike the M2s."

"I see, what about the M2s?", Mark asked again.

"Not a problem general, they're just clogged with water. Once I drained the water, they're good to be used in combat again. Oh, this is one of my favorite guns so I know how to craft these things with all the materials present. Still, I'm kinda wondering how the hell these things are not decaying when we found them. They're stuck down there for well… seventy years so it's odd."

Mark also knew that well. Seventy years is enough for any metal to rust especially given in such environments. However, putting magic in the equation will make sense to things. Based on what Kevin told him a few hours ago, Diewfiel Swamp had been used as training grounds of mages before the swamp dried up. Considering that, maybe the swamp absorbed what is this thing called 'mana' or 'willpower', as how he read it in what books he could read in this world, and induced the water some sort of preserving effect?

"Don't know commander", Mark replied, "Still, we should be thankful as we got more weapons to use. What's the condition of the .50 BMGs? We're going to use those in the future."

"No problems", Kenneth replied, "Since they're in a water-sealed box, they aren't damaged."

"What about the plane engines then?", Mark asked after it.

"Well, I just looked at one of the Avengers already and the entire thing is almost a mess", Kenneth replied.

"Well, that's to be expected", Mark said, "These things got stuck for seventy years down the lake so it's obvious that they'll be rusting."

"The good news is that the hull is still in shape despite the rust", Kenneth added, "So we can take up the measurements and build up our own but the engines can be a big task."

Just as Mark and Kenneth are conversing, Michael and an ALC officer showed up both of which saluted first.

"General, additional men have arrived from Armaghe under Major Conell's command", Michael said.

"Good, is there anything else?", Mark asked.

"Well, I overheard you tow conversing on the aircrafts so I volunteer to help in teaching the guys here to fly these things."

"Wait, you have experience flying these things?", Kenneth asked.

"Yes, I used to fly some sprinkler aircraft back at home when I am working on a farm before I got drafted into military service", Michael replied.

"Now that makes things a whole lot easier", Mark commented, "Anyways, Major Conell, what's the status of the men under your command?"

"All in good condition", Major Conell replied, "They are reservists that have just been recently recruited so they don't have any combat experience yet. However, they will still give us a hand in this retrieval operation. And… this is hard to explain but some of the mages that we got captured yesterday volunteered to join us."

"What do you mean?", Mark asked.

"The mages in question apparently volunteered to offer their services in this task", Major Conell replied.

"Lead me to them", Mark ordered, "I want to see these guys myself."

Major Conell nodded and Mark followed him as he walked leaving the ALC officer that guided Mark first, Michael, and Kenneth to fiddle with the recovered military hardware. After several more moments of walking, Major Conell and Mark reached the place where the mages in question are standing.

Mark inspected the mages which are clearly easy to spot as they are the only ones whose hands are tied behind them by ropes among the large crowd of other people who are no doubt commoners. Those that have their hands not tied are all carrying shovels and pickaxes.

"Are you the mages the mages that decided to help?", Mark asked.

"Yes," the mage that apparently seems to be the leader of the twenty four handcuffed men replied.

"You and your men are basically imperialists and, therefore, allied with the Reconquista", Mark said, "So what are the motives of you and your men in helping us revolutionaries?"

The mage looked down and laughed sadly before replying

"We never swore any loyalty to the new government", the mage replied. "We used to serve under the regime that Reconquista overthrew and they simply conscripted us the moment the old regime was taken out. We're not fighting for this government; we're just fighting for survival. Nothing else."

"But aren't you guys nobles?", Major Conell asked.

"We're just lower nobles that are just slightly better than commoners when it comes to social standing", the mage answered, "Like the commoners, we can just be bossed around by the higher nobles. You can think of us as essentially commoners that got magic."

Mark approached the mage and looked at him square in the eyes. He inspected the mage carefully. As a famous saying goes, the eyes are the human soul's window to the world. In this situation, this appears to be the case. In the eyes of the mage, Mark can only see contempt for a rotten system, grief, and regret but no lies. These weren't the eyes of a liar; instead, they belong to one that had been stressed that they cannot do anything meaningful and one that had already considered himself a pawn for somebody's selfish sick game.

"Are you prepared to die fighting Reconquista?", Mark asked suddenly, "Once you got in, there's no way out."

"I don't have any regrets on dying", the mage replied flatly, "There's nothing else that I can fight for. All of it is gone."

"What about a better future for Albion?", Mark asked, "I'm sure you value your own country."

"I would gladly fight for it", the mage replied, "But we can't win. The Founder is likely on Reconquista's side."

Mark made a frown on his face before replying.

"The Founder is nothing but a dumb jackass", Mark said flatly, "Actually, the nobles that I heard so far are nothing but almost clear carbon copies of that asshole. Are you saying that you are being bested by one big fool?"

"He was a powerful Void mage and that is enough to win everything", the mage countered, "We don't have any void mages to hit them back with."

Mark smirked causing the mage and Major Conell to look at him.

"How about this", Mark said, "I'll make a gamble that the Founder isn't as invincible and powerful as you think. I win if I managed to show on public a mutilated and dead corpse of one void mage. How does that sound?"

The mage and Major Conell were nerved by what the overall commander of the ALC said just now. It was pure nonsense, boasting, and stupidity. The void mages are easily the most powerful mages around and, as such, impossible to kill unless they have magic with an equal power which they don't have at the moment. Besides, attacking a void mage is practically synonymous with attacking the Founder himself which, in turn, means attracting the wrath of all the kingdoms upon them. There's no point in demanding a losing condition since the gamble is a losing game on its own.

"I know that you two are thinking of me either as crazy or just being full of myself", Mark continued, "But remember this, all of the great things came from foolishness."

"And what makes you think of that?", the mage asked back.

"Well, we managed to capture this city with a silly excuse", Mark said, "Aren't you a bit amused by how your commander reacted when I told him that was just a fat empty bluff after the whole prank?"

The mage knew what Mark meant. The moment it was revealed that the ALC is just ten thousand strong not a two-million force, Baron Montagu was extremely angry as he turned out to be fooled by the enemy. The cannons that he saw on the horizon were nothing but logs and there was not a single rebel behind the hills. It was perhaps his biggest blunder to surrender to an enemy force smaller than his and the blunder got all the way bigger as the enemy force in question is just comprised of commoners and not an imperial army force. To be defeated by another noble is bearable but to be defeated by a commoner is not. It's a good thing for the Baron that somebody made it out to tell the tale but it just turned to be a bad thing as the tale will be all just about a bluff.

"Liar", the mage only said.

"Really?", Mark retorted, "Then what can you say about the towns and villages burned by your so-called 'honorable' nobles along with the people that they butchered?"

"What?", the mage asked.

"Don't fool around, I know you know what I meant", Mark snarled, "The Reconquista along with the old regime have a sick fetish of burning protestants or what you call heretics who simply didn't believe the same damn thing as you guys. I doubt the nobles see commoners as humans based on the subhuman conditions that I saw in the small villages that allied with us along the way."

The mage went silent after that. He can't think of anything to say. However, Mark followed up with one statement that shook him.

"I don't know who you are but I'm going to bet that you along with your peers here participated in at least one of those sick killing sprees right?", Mark added.

"What makes you say that?!", the mage asked angrily.

'You said it yourself, you're a lower noble which is similar to a commoner", Mark replied coolly, "Consequently, you can be ordered around by the higher nobles to do their dirty work without the risking of soiling their hands in blood at the expense of somebody else. I'm not accusing you; I'm just telling that those nobles can use people the likes of you to do their bidding."

That made sense, the mage thought, despite his magic, he is nothing but a rank-and-file soldier that can be expended like a small musket ball and be replaced way too easily. He was still quiet as he thought about it.

"And even if you and your peers here really did it", Mark continued, "I'm not gonna scorn or hate you for it."

That statement caused the mage to look carefully at the overall commander of the ALC.

"General, you cannot be serious!", Major Conell said, "These bastards are all cold-blooded killers!"

"W-Wh-Why?", the only things the mage said in confusion.

Mark paused for a moment before replying.

"We are all soldiers correct?", Mark asked the Major.

"Uh… yes", Major Conell replied.

"Then that makes my explanation all the way easier", Mark continued, "We soldiers are all combatants and we are expected to eliminate the opposition at all costs. As soldiers, we are bound to follow the orders of the higher ups no matter how trivial or insane it sounds. Consequently, it doesn't really matter if the orders are immoral, inhuman, or anything. We are just bound to follow it. We might not like those orders but duty and responsibility forces us to comply."

"What do you mean general?", Major Conell asked.

"I'm saying that you can't blame the frontline enemy soldiers if they tried to kill you the best they could as they are only following the orders of their commanders", Mark replied, "So Major, if I ordered you to execute all the captured nobles including all their children currently in Armaghe, will you comply?

Major Conell found it to be a not so simple question. He can simply say "Yes, general" out of pure spite against the nobles but to kill children as well… is just too much to bear.

"I can kill all the nobles but… but I can't bear to kill children", Major Conell said weakly, "But still, I hate all of them."

"Emotions are another factor that causes soldiers to act on their own accord", Mark said, "No amount of morale, charisma, propaganda, and discipline can make soldiers to follow orders that are against any common ethical values. A commander may eventually force them to comply but that will eventually corrupt the fighting ability of the affected soldiers. The main mistake of the nobles is that they view the ordinary common soldier as nothing but a piece on top of a playing board just like the mages currently here. As such, it isn't a surprise if they defected which they did along with the others we captured in the city. If my guess is right, it's just a matter of time before they decided to join us."

"What?", Major Conell asked in confusion.

"The fact that these mages volunteered to help in the first place without being coerced and that they didn't swear any sort of loyalty to Reconquista is already dead giveaways that they are just unwilling pawns and, therefore, have no reason to fight us real hard. They only follow orders because of influence and intimidation", Mark answered, "Untie them; we will need their services in our goals."

"You cannot be serious general!", Major Conell yelled, "They are our enemies. They need to be killed!"

"We fight for ideals that are completely the opposite of those of Reconquista", Mark replied flatly, "Using the same tactics as those bastards will simply make us as worse as them. Besides, his eyes tell that they don't really want serving Reconquista in the first place."

"What do you mean by the eyes?", Major Conell asked.

"A man can lie countless times but his eyes cannot", Mark replied, "I'm a soldier myself that went in many brutal battlefields and I have seen the same eyes from other combatants, allied and enemy alike, who do not want any part of it but does so nevertheless out of necessity and coercion."

It was a lengthy conversation and the men around them, including Kenneth and Michael, stopped momentarily to listen to the conversation. They are completely surprised by the manner of speaking and the judgment presented by the overall commander of the ALC. The more surprising part is that he is quite young for a commander since he looks like he is in his early 25s. Compared to any aristocratic commanders, Mark is quite brash given how he talks, no formalities, yet his way of thinking is very sound with no signs of incompetence. Truly, he is the commander that they need in this situation.

Most aristocratic military commanders tend to be old men with a complete egocentric personality complemented with incompetence and bigotry. The only reason that they are in their positions is through connections, influence, wealth, either one of it, either two of it, or all.

"Okay, that's quite a lengthy talk", Mark concluded, "Alright let's get back to work. I want this quick."

Even without a word, Major Conell ordered that all the mages be untied and given back their wands.

"You and your peers' first order under my command are to make the ground beneath the swamp to rise up so the planes can be dragged horizontally", Mark ordered, "I believe that all of you here are triangle class square earth mages so this won't be a problem if you guys work together."

"I… I understand", the mage replied as he signaled the other mages to follow his lead after they were untied and their wands given back.

The mage and his peers walked towards the swamp and began chanting after the immediate area has been cleared out. After several moments, the ground began to shake and suddenly rose displacing the water beneath them away. As a result, the planes went on full view and are completed out of the water allowing the men of the ALC to start on dragging the planes up.

"Alright, the planes are all in full view, get them!", Major Conell barked the order.

"Well, this is going to be a lot of work", Mark commented as he witness large groups of men began to make preparations to drag the planes.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the Palace of Londonium, Londonium…**

**1200 Hours…**

The office of Emperor Cromwell has an atmosphere that is currently brimming with an uneasy air. A member of Baron Montagu's most trusted subordinates managed to flee before the city was completely taken over by the ALC. The man in question considered himself both lucky and unlucky at the same time. Lucky because he managed to avoid capture by the rebels and unlucky because he's now taking the heat of the overall head of the Reconquista government.

"So they are called the Albion Liberation Corps?", Cromwell asked with a sleek but obviously angry tone.

"Yes", the man who happened to flee Armaghe replied, "And they said that they are about two million strong."

At this point, an aide of Cromwell blurted out.

"Two million?!", the aide said incredulously, "How can those rebels amass this kind of number?!"

"I don't know", the man replied back, "They function more as an army than a rebel faction if their cannons are any indication."

"Cannons?", Cromwell asked curiously.

"Yes, I saw it myself. The cannons appear to be as big as the ones mounted on the Lexington if not bigger. I'm puzzled myself as to where they got those weapons", the man said.

Cromwell thought about this. It's almost the same thing that happened when Joseph secretly backed them in overthrowing the previous regime. Could it be that the Gallic king Joseph is screwing with him given his quite psychotic behavior?

Still, whatever the case, these rebels are proving themselves to be a complete threat that needs his attention. They need to be taken care of before they started to meddle with his agendas.

"We need to make some drastic means of control, Your Highness", the second aide proposed, "If the people were to know this, they might start to rebel themselves which we cannot afford at the moment. Sporadic unrests accompanying an established revolt is not a good sign."

"Let those fools rebel if they want", another aide said, "We can simply mow them down if they do."

"But we can't still afford to let a revolt break out at a time like this", the second aide retorted, "The other kingdoms might be tempted to launch a sudden invasion. They have already stationed their forces in Rouen after all."

Cromwell noted that one fact. Right now, a large joint Germanian-Tristanian military force is currently stationed in the port town of Rouen and is provisioned with all the necessities to conduct an invasion if needed. He needs to conduct an extremely bold and strong decision now.

"Send all of our Imperial Dragon Knights corps to Saltisbury", Cromwell declared.

"Your Highness, Saltisbury is just seven hundred miles away from Armaghe", an aide said, "Are we going to defend that city will all of our power?"

"We don't have a choice", Cromwell replied, "They already captured Armaghe so their next stop will be to capture the next city in their sights."

"But why the entirety of the Dragon Knights?", an aide asked.

"Those rebels have proven themselves to be more than what they are so eliminating them with utmost effort is necessary", Cromwell replied.

"But Your Highness, if we pulled the Dragon Knights out of Portsmouth, we will leave the port completely defenseless", the aide said.

Cromwell thought for a moment before replying.

"Well then, send eight divisions of our armed forces there. Have all the ship crews put on high alert. I also want the port to be fortified with heavy cannon emplacements to ward off enemy ships that will try to make a forced landing", Cromwell said.

As Cromwell finished talking, he suddenly remembered something.

"And by the way, aren't the swamp just outside the outskirts of Armaghe infested with dragons?", Cromwell asked.

"Yes, Your Highness", an aide answered, "According to our information Diewfiel Swamp is currently infested with six dragons one of those is significantly bigger than the other five."

"Are those ours", Cromwell asked.

"I don't think so Your Highness", the aide said, "The information clearly says that these are not our own. However, there are star-shaped runes on the bodies of those dragons."

Cromwell thought for a second. Large dragon controlled by runes… the only thing that he could think of is Sheffield or more proper to say Myozunitonirun, "The Mind of God". Even with this information, he still can't be at ease. Knowing Joseph's way of dealing political issues, there's a chance that Sheffield is messing up with his plans which are Joseph's overall. This mind game is getting annoying.

"I see", Cromwell said, "Send another ten divisions of our soldiers at Saltisbury in addition to the entire dragon knights. I want the entire city defended inside out", Cromwell ordered, "Call off any ongoing patrols. I want all forces on the defense."

"But what about the Dragon Elite Guards with you?", the aide asked, "Will they be sent in as well?"

Cromwell frowned at the question but replied nevertheless.

"No, as per their duty, they will remain in Londonium to act as my personal guards", Cromwell said.

The meeting was adjourned after several more minutes of pleasantries.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the corridor leading to the meeting chamber of the Imperial Diet of Germania, Vindobona…**

**1400 Hours…**

Duke Herman Von Kleist is currently walking in the corridors leading to the meeting chamber of the Imperial Diet of Germania. He can admit to himself that this is not his lucky day. As far as he know, the civil war in Albion is getting worse by the second and he, along with the other nobles, are called for a special meeting with Duke Adolf Von Goebbels as the head whom has a great deal of influence on the current Germanian Emperor which he and his peers didn't like in the slightest. The unknown rebels are currently gaining ground slowly based on the last bits of information that they can make out. Various thoughts cloud in his mind regarding what will be discussed in the meeting. As always, he is wearing resplendent clothes with various decorations like medals and epaulettes and a well-adorned sword in its scabbard strapped to his waist. As he reached a rather large door at the end of the corridor, he stopped and paused for a moment. This will be a long meeting especially considering that Duke Adolf Von Goebbels is here. After he is done with himself, he opened the door and he saw various other important nobles already sat in their seats though Emperor Albrecht III isn't here yet.

"Glad to see you here Duke Herman Von Kleist", a noble in an equally resplendent clothing said as he approached Duke Von Kleist.

"It is also good to see you here Duke Anton Joachim Gotthard", Duke Von Kleist replied in return, "So what is this meeting all about?"

"The situation in Albion is currently getting worse as we speak", Duke Gotthard said, "And this session is carried out to decide what course of action we will take in light of this."

"I understand", Duke Von Kleist replied.

Before the two can talk more, two important people came inside. Everyone inside the meeting chamber knew who these two people are. One of them is Emperor Albrecht III and the other one is Duke Adolf Von Goebbels. As a sign of respect, the people inside the meeting chamber bowed down before going to their respective seats.

After several more minutes, the meeting finally began.

"As you can see, the civil war in Albion continues to rage", Duke Von Goebbels said, "In light with this event, we need to take advantage of whatever we might be able to exploit in this occasion."

Suddenly, a noble rose up and asked.

"But Albion is way too far from us. What will we get from intervening on such a small floating island?", a Germanian count asked.

"As you can see", Duke Von Goebbels began, "Albion is known for having massive amounts of windstone deposits in it. If we can seize those deposits, it will allow us to build an extremely large armada of warships with which to secure an upper hand over Gallia. Bear in mind that we are still in conflict with Gallia and Tristain is nothing but just a temporary stop gap against them."

The count that asked earlier sit down after his question was answered.

"So what is the best course of action to take then?", Duke Von Kleist asked.

"We need to wait more on what will happen", Duke Von Goebbels replied, "There are still many things that need to be taken into account…"

"Like the rebels", Duke Gotthard said.

"Yes, the rebels", Duke Von Goebbels continued, "I do not know anything about them but they did a good job of both harassing and throwing Reconquista off balance. Regardless, there are still more important issues pressing on our hands that need our attention."

"Like what?", Duke Gotthard asked.

"We need to ensure that we are the ones that will commence the invasion of Albion once the civil war died down at least a year later. That way, the rebels will tear down each other to keep their grip on power", Duke Von Goebbels said.

"Well played Duke Von Goebbels", Emperor Albrecht III finally spoke, "The agenda remains clear: We must take over Albion in order to secure a high advantage over Gallia."

The meeting continued to drag on as the Imperial Diet of Germania continued to discuss further matters regarding Albion.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the village of Tarbes…**

**1600 Hours…**

Saito and the rest of his company which comprised of Louise, Tabitha, Kirche, and Colbert have made it to Siesta's village of Tarbes. The village itself isn't as large as the other cities and villages but just enough to accommodate its meager number of inhabitants. Tarbes is a countryside village located on the borders of Tristain to the north east and, unfortunately, it is one of the unlucky villages that will get attacked if Reconquista was able to carry out an invasion. Nevertheless, the new civil war that broke out in Albion spared the little village from undue harm.

Currently, Siesta is leading the group to a large building where an artifact called as the "Dragon's Raiment" is stored after talking with the village elder. The group then made it to a large building.

"Okay, we're here", Siesta said as she pushed the door sideways.

The group then walked in. However, upon getting inside, Saito's face showed one of disbelief.

"What's the matter Saito?", Louise asked on seeing Saito's face expression.

Saito remained speechless for a few moments before he replied.

"This is not a dragon", Saito said, "This is a Zero fighter plane, a weapon from my world."

The entire interior of the building was silent before one collective yell broke out.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Diewfiel Swamp…**

**1800 Hours…**

The encampment still stands. So far, three of the five TBM Avengers have been successfully pulled out of the swamp and are now in Armaghe for safe keeping. The same goes for the recovered small arms weaponry. Consequently, only two Avengers and the Mariner plane are left. Over the course of the day, twenty more mages have decided to join in the ALC's ranks and are now helping in the retrieval operations. It's also quite fortunate that not a single sign of any Imperial Army patrol group has been sighted anywhere around Diewfiel Swamp. That way, the retrieval operation continued unhindered. Regardless, ALC troopers are still on alert for any possible surprise attacks that the Imperial Army might be planning.

Mark is seen busy looking at the mages busy casting their earth magic to make the ground below the planes rise up which is the time the men helping with the retrieval attach ropes to the planes then drag it.

As the planes are being dragged, Mark knew that the next operations will take a heavy toll either on manpower, morale, or both. Regardless, the weapons that they recovered are some sort of a consolation price to refresh on and that is enough to make him feel better.

_-TURN 11 END-_

* * *

**PS: Well, these sums up everything for Turn 11. As you can see clearly, I have made a huge divergence from the canon storyline in order to make way for this conversation between Mark, the ALC soldier with him, and the captive mage is just my interpretation to the gritty reality of wars. I hope I managed to picture it right in its most cruel form (for realism purposes).  
**

**Also, if you noticed the Dragon Elite Guards, they are loosely based off the Black Guard, Romanov's personal honor guards in Red Alert 2 which you have to destroy to get at the Kremlin (and thus end the mission as you only need to secure the area around the Kremlin without destroying it). Consequently, the Dragon Elite Guards will have the same role and fate as their Red Alert 2 namesake except that I would modify it to fit the storyline. At this point, the Reconquista now knows that the rebel forces that they are fighting is named as the "Albion Liberation Corps".**

**BTW, I made it in such a way that the planes of Flight 19 are armed with weapons. Consequently, if you think that the planes are unarmed, then I apologize. I just can't find any reliable info about it other than accounts of when it disappeared.**

**Also, if the Zero fighter jet and the ALC's future propeller aircrafts (which will be improved versions) are to have a dogfight, which will win? Bear in mind that the Zero will be all alone against the ones that the ALC's successor will be using.**

**Robo Reader 21, I know that the planes are guaranteed to be rusting but I made a nice excuse to exclude the weapons from decaying. I sure hope my excuse here fits in.**

**Albion cities are based off English cities**

Saltisbury –Salisbury


	13. Turn 12: Sharpened Fangs

**Author's Notes: Finally, after more than a month of writing (which became even harder due to the kill streak I got from college exams and designing the vehicles that I promised), I'm finally through with Turn 12 of this fic. **

**Oh yeah, I've made an account on DeviantArt and that's where I posted the pictures. BTW, I have several reminders for these pictures. One, the vehicles being portrayed by these pictures will NOT yet be making any appearances real soon. I just posted it there so you'll get an idea of what they look like. Second, since they are not yet going to appear, what you will see there are just their beta versions which lead to the third point. Third, since they are just beta versions, I can still change them later on for a more high definition model but their layout will remain the same. Once they appeared in the story, whatever their latest appearance in my DeviantArt account will be what they will look like in the story. Just go to DeviantArt and look for TASpecialist. That's my identifier there.**

**I'm also here to clarify some things first.**

**First is that I misspelled the name of the torpedo used, the torpedoes are actually named as "Mk 13 torpedoes". I screwed up as I'm thinking of the Mk 19 grenade launcher at the time I wrote it.**

**Second, I mistakenly named the Zero fighter as a jet. I apologize for this one. Honestly, whenever aircrafts are involved, the first thing that comes to my mind is jets (since they are the coolest aircraft in my opinion). Anyways, it seems that every single reviewer that responded to my question says that the upcoming ALC aircraft will win over the Zero huh? Anyways, you guys have your own points.**

**Speaking of aircraft, I have this strange urge to have the upcoming new Albion Republican Air Force equipped with aircraft of a caliber equal to the ones shown in Yukikaze and even the FX-500 Skygrasper from the Gundam Seed series as well as armed with a nasty weapon like the Tactical Laser System from Ace Combat. I don't know how I came up with this other than I think that the aircraft from the two series are more than badass enough to kick dragon knight asses out of the sky. Oh well, probably all those good times of playing Ace Combat finally got a better hold of me huh?**

**Guest, Mark already knows about Void magic given the amount of information that he read on the books that he got his hands on (not to mention that Void magic is well-known in ZnT for obvious reasons). The only thing he needs to see is to see Void magic in action (though it's doubtful that he'll even see Void magic in combat as the void mage in question might end up getting shot dead before the explosion comes up).**

**DivineHeirarch, instead of asking whether Louise can deal serious damage to the Albion Republican Forces later on, you should be asking if she can even cast one when the fight comes up. Along the lines of modern warfare, standing in the open is a surefire way of getting yourself killed (which she does when she casts her void spells). Combining these factors: Open fields, flat terrain, heavy machine gun fire, aircraft surgical bombardment, artillery barrage, tomahawk missiles fired by Tomahawk Launchers, snipers, Louise's pink hair, and, most important of all, Void magic's long cool down time, Louise is more likely to kiss the ground dead first rather than being able to blast anybody or, worse, blown to bits. Heck, even a rookie sniper (or even a noob sniper in Counter-Strike) can acquire a headshot on her as the time Louise needs to successfully cast one void explosion is enough time for one sniper to take aim and fire at her not to mention that she must stand still (never saw her cast void spell while running) which makes her easy to hit. One shot and she's history or just hit her with artillery shells, chemical weapons, or any type of killer ordinance straight her way then she's toast. BTW, I don't think Saito will be able to protect Louise in this situation as the sniper will be likely at least a mile away and he's just suited for melee combat (can he hit somebody from afar with a sword?). Besides, he might be able to run faster due to the Gandalfr runes but that isn't enough to close the distance between him and a sniper a mile away in a span of a few seconds. He'll practically need a good deal of time to get from one side of the battlefield to another even with the runes activated.**

**This story won't be like any other war fic you have seen. Unlike the main characters of various war-themed works like Gundam Seed who can take down lots of ass and went out of the battlefield without a scratch just because they're the main character, the OCs that I featured here will fight on terms equal to red shirt and nooks (well bar the planning part) if not slightly better. Consequently, don't expect to see Mark, any of the other Rangers; Simon, William, and Cecilia kill lots of enemies on their own without support or pulling of Gary Stu stunts.**

**The same goes for Saito. Just because he's the Gandalfr doesn't mean that he's gonna kick a lot of ass here. As the Gandalfr, his primary weapon is Derflinger which is a sword and we all know that one needs to get close to an enemy before he can deal any damage with a sword. Considering this, don't expect to see him out in the open charging on the battlefield with Derflinger at hand as he's likely going to get machine gunned to death if he dared to charge on Albion Republican Military soldiers which will be armed with rifles (heck, the only reason why he was able to do as such in the anime is because the Reconquista soldiers that he fought aren't armed with automatic weapons). AFAIK, the Gandalfr runes only increase his speed and reflexes; it doesn't make him an immortal so dozens of .50 BMG rounds (and even some 30mm rounds) will make him history if enough hit him. Oh yeah, the military doctrine of Halkeginia is suicidal by 21st century standards of warfare a.k.a "Modern Warfare".**

**AznMagicman, elves are a long shot. I honestly doubt elves will side with humans considering how they see each other in ZnT.**

**Spartan016, the shooting in a plane becomes easy when you know how to fly the plane as all you need to do is to align the plane in relation to your enemy then fire away. BTW, this is just a simple maneuver but is very deadly considering that dragon knights tend to move slowly, perhaps on the same level as helicopters; making them easy targets (can anybody tell me of dragon knights successfully pulling off aerial back flips or successive tight g-turns?). Once missiles are available, this won't matter as long as you get a missile "lock on" on an enemy target. And also, due to the stunt that the ALC is pulling, Reconquista won't be able to pull off an invasion of their own until the ALC is dealt with which is gonna be a hard task for them.**

**Lost Guy, about your PM, talking about an extremely massive railway gun huh? Plausible but very hard to pull off due to its massive size and, if the ALC did that, they'll need two years at the minimum with non-stop construction effort before that thing gets put into service.**

**Blackholelord, as for the tanks, I'm now starting to think of whether I'll introduce a tank or a tank destroyer for that matter (but it will be a crude one either way). However, if I'll introduce it, it's going to be slow but is armed with a powerful anti-tank cannon (enough to bring down square mage golems in one shot).**

**One more thing to note, the guns (and other weaponry) that the ALC are using are based on the information about the Khyber Pass Copy rifles. Search it on Wikipedia if you want to know it. That's where I got my inspiration.**

**Also, what makes this fic challenging for me is that I will also aim to develop the enemies' characters as the story progress in addition to the protagonists'. I just find seeing villains just portrayed as pure evil without detailing why are they doing those evil deeds and then they get killed 5 seconds later after making a character development of them.**

**Man, got a lot of reviews. Thanks guys!**

**Also, here are some pointers for this fic (will appear later in the story):  
1) High Technology alone will not let you win easily.  
2) Nobles/Mages might be dumb but they have an unusual amount of durability because of their antagonist role (bad weeds don't die that easily). You'll need more pepper and chili to bring them down than you can carry.  
3) Void magic kicks ass harder but bullets fly faster.  
4) Guinea pigs (lot's of them).  
5) Anonymous green slime killer.  
6) Excavate, excavate, excavate…  
7) Skeletons (and faggots) behind the closets.  
8) Dakka, Dakka, Dakka…  
9) "Chuck Norris' suit."  
10) Nice Boat.**

**Please also note that, starting at this point in time, the canon events in the ZnT storyline might no longer happen in this story so I might end up deliberately turning this story into an AU which I have already done on several important matters.**

**Note: The time in Turn 12 is set a month after the ALC's capture of Armaghe so this is kinda time-skipped.**

**Without anything further to say, here's Turn 12!**

* * *

**========== Turn 12: Sharpened Fangs ==========**

"_The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one's country"  
- __George S. Patton Jr._

**Armaghe…**

**1000 Hours…**

It has been thirty days ever since the successful takeover of Armaghe by the ALC. In this span of time, several changes instantly became evident. One of those is the disappearance of Imperial banners all throughout the city. While many of the city people allied themselves with the ALC outright after the city's "liberation", a good deal of city folk resisted the ALC forces as well which included merchants who didn't like what's going on. Fortunately, they were eventually pacified without any accident or unnecessary collateral damage. ALC patrols now replaced the ones that the Reconquista garrison deployed prior to the takeover. Unlike the Reconquista patrols which comprised of at least ten soldiers armed with spears and swords, ALC patrols are composed of four-man teams armed with rifles and are on horseback. The tall walls of Armaghe have also experienced changes. Instead of Reconquista soldiers manning the watch towers of the walls, ALC troops are now manning these areas. Unlike the Reconquista soldiers, the ALC troops manning the watch towers are much more effective as their rifles are very accurate and capable of hitting harder and faster than muskets and bows. Furthermore, the machine guns that they wield possess a good deal of fire rate, penetration against plate armor, and accuracy against enemy targets which mostly includes infantry and dragons in Reconquista's case. Against armored targets like golems, grenade launchers and light howitzers emplaced on the walls will take care of the job. Also, the watch towers were fortified in such a way that there's an area where the sentries can take cover in the event of an enemy siege. The sentries stationed on the watch towers are also equipped with flare guns which they can use to notify other watch towers in the event that they spotted an enemy attack force on the horizon which will give the ALC the time needed to mount a defense.

Inside the yard of a fort of Armaghe, ALC troops are busy doing combat training. Rank and files of men are doing routine exercises which comprised of making runs with their full combat load out. Inside the yard, a sea of men in body armor armed with rifles and other weapons is a common sight to anyone that entered the fort except it is a whole lot different from Reconquista's in terms of weapon suite. The ALC troops aren't armed with spears, bow, and muskets like that of Reconquista or the other human imperial armies but with rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and sniper rifles. Even the choice of artillery is completely new. While the canons used by Reconquista and the other human kingdoms pack heavier punch at long range, the ALC's light howitzers deal a much precise hit on enemy targets not to mention that its ammunition can be tweaked according to the type of fire support needed at hand. The long arrow artillery pieces provide a nice area suppression weapon as well.

As men continue to march, a pair of ALC officers is overseeing the men as they train.

"We started at just two hundred men. Now we're past twenty no fifty thousand… wait… whatever. All I know is that we're brimming with lots of men. It's kinda funny when you thought about it right?", an ALC officer told his fellow officer.

"Yeah. Never expected that we're going to get this far. Our general is the real deal", the other ALC officer replied, "If not for him, we're probably good as dead by now."

"You know, I'm kinda wondering if the Founder is on our side", the ALC officer said.

The other ALC officer just scoffed at that.

"That's just crap. I am not a believer of that. Who cares about the founder?", the other ALC officer said, "I'm impressed with our general though. He's very daring and doesn't give crap out like those nobles."

The first ALC officer smiled.

"Talking about crap huh?", the first ALC officer said, "I'm not a believer as well. Heck, I rarely go to a Church. The last time I went there is probably because the priest there just called me out. Meh… I forgot the real reason. Whatever, it's not important anymore."

Just as the two are talking, another ALC officer came up.

"We need more officers to oversee the new men. You two go there now", the newly arrived ALC officer said.

The two ALC officers, both captains, looked on the newcomer. Based on his uniform, this one is a major which means that this officer is their commanding officer and, therefore, they need to comply.

"Yes, Major", the two said in acknowledgement as they saluted.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the Capitol Building…**

**1025 Hours…**

The expensive-looking quarters of what used to be Baron Montagu's office is now littered with maps of the surrounding terrain of Armaghe and other areas under ALC control sticking on the walls.

Mark is currently sitting on a chair and in front of him is a large table laden with many papers and other documents. He is currently reading all the documents containing various messages and orders all of which are actually papers coming from the Reconquista government. Mark is reading the documents to see if there's anything of importance that he can exploit. So far, most of the documents contain transcripts of nothing but troop deployments all around Armaghe prior to the ALC takeover along with trivial transcripts of sorts that he wished he never read in the first place. Can't these nobles be a bit more decent about their own physical cravings?

As Mark is reading the documents, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in", Mark said.

The door opened after he spoke and the door revealed an ALC officer. The ALC officer went in and saluted to Mark which the former returned. After that, the ALC officer spoke.

"General, our field officers are requesting additional weapons and equipment in the face of the growing recruitment number we are currently experiencing in this city", the ALC officer spoke, "Our current stockpiles are currently enough but we might encounter shortages in our armaments if this continues without increasing our production."

"How many new recruits did we get exactly?", Mark inquired.

The ALC officer paused for a moment before replying.

"General, in just a span of at least two weeks, we were able to get as many as thirty five thousand new recruits and still counting", the ALC officer spoke, "But the strange thing is that… about two fifths of that number came from the subdued Reconquista garrison force that used to defend Armaghe when we were trying to capture the city."

"Okay, so what's the strange thing about the captured Reconquista foot soldiers joining our fold?", Mark asked.

"Uhm… General, aren't you a bit suspicious that they are joining us now?", the ALC officer asked in return.

Mark sighed before making an answer.

"We are currently at war, officer", Mark began, "The war we are currently in pits us against an enemy that will use anything and will not stop at anything to destroy us. Logically, we are in a state of total war which means that we are free to use whatever resources we can get our hands on. We cannot afford to be choosy over materials and supplies in this war, officer."

"But letting the enemy's soldiers join our fold doesn't justify it", the ALC officer said, "Who knows when will they snap back at us?"

"I know that as well", Mark replied, "But this is a military risk that we need to take if we are to wage a successful war against Reconquista. I'm telling you this now that there are no such safe decisions when it comes to warfare. Like what I said, war is hell and any sound decisions may end up collapsing into total disaster without warning. We also cannot make any huge progress if we are not willing to take on bold and daring moves."

As Mark said the last word, he let the book he is currently reading rest on the desk.

"However, I have several reasons why I see that letting these guys join our side is more than worth the risk", Mark added, "First, these soldiers do not fight for anything of importance. They are just coerced by those nobles to fight… no die for them meaninglessly through the use of religious brainwashing. Whenever they enter the battlefield, they weren't driven by courage and devotion to a cause but by fear alone. To top it all up, some of them don't even see themselves as humans with dignity but simply as tools that are expendable for some selfish agendas. Heck, most of them might be actually sellswords."

"But that also makes them a liability to us", the ALC officer countered, "How can they be of any help if they are like that?"

"As bad as they suck on themselves, they can still be re-educated about the right things but it will be very difficult", Mark answered, "Once they have been refined, we can rely on them fully. Clearly, these people weren't given the chance to figure out their abilities and hone them as well as their meaning in life. Instead, those nobles are just feeding their minds with bullshit and then sending them on the meat grinder. What a waste of human resources isn't it? I'm wondering how the hell these guys are still in control of this country with such kind of crap."

"How can you prove that General?", the ALC officer asked.

"The mages that joined us is already a dead giveaway", Mark said, "True, they were educated in a way that sees mages as superior to non-mages but they were never thought to exhibit blind devotion to their cause. To be honest, that kind of teaching is just there to promote the nobles' own agendas whatever those may be and with little regard for anything other than it. Ironically, they do not have the volition to die for the cause they believe in when they are supposed to be. Actually, they just use their ability to use magic to gain an unfair advantage over others. That's all there is."

"I finally understand sir", the ALC officer said, "Are there any orders?"

"Alright, send a notification to the villages of Rodiz and Odense. I want three teams of twenty weapon smiths each team from both Rodiz and Odense to move at Armaghe. They are to modify the production infrastructure of Armaghe to develop more weapons for our cause and keep up with the wartime production", Mark ordered, "They are all to serve under Commander Kenneth's command upon their arrival."

"I understand, General", the ALC officer replied.

With nothing else left to say, the ALC officer bid his good bye to Mark with a salute. However, just as the officer is about to exit the room after opening the door. Mark asked him with one question.

"Officer, what is it that you fight for?", Mark asked.

The officer clenched his hand on the door knob and replied.

"I want to ensure that the remaining people that I value will be safe, General", the ALC officer spoke.

"A noble reason to fight for", Mark commented, "Still… I hope this war will not become a living hell... because if it does… it… will not end well."

With this, the ALC officer finally turned around only to see the overall commander of the ALC having a solemn look on his face.

"What do you mean General?", the ALC officer asked concerned.

"Never mind that", Mark replied as he regained his normal face expression, "However, do not let your personal prejudice get the better hold of you when you are in battle, officer. Try to take advantage of anything worth the risk and exploit the enemy's own weaknesses as much as possible. Oh, and keep your cool at all times, you will not be able to think of a sound plan if you are burning with rage. And do not show any hesitation when killing the enemy. Only through those means we will be able to win this war and avoid unnecessary casualties."

"I understand, General", the ALC officer replied.

"And one more thing officer", Mark added, "If you think that a morally-wrong decision will allow the mission to succeed and spare the lives of most of the men under your command, do not hesitate to execute it."

Mark then finally dismissed the ALC officer after this little reminder. The ALC officer, on the other hand, was dumbfounded by what the overall commander of the ALC said.

Once the door is shut and the ALC officer out of hearing range, Mark then resumed reading. However, as he is about to read the book he has, one thing caught his attention: a scroll tied with what appears to be some sort of religious tie. Not wasting any time, he immediately grabbed it and looked at it.

"This will be a bit of a migraine", Mark commented grimly as he removed the tie of the scroll.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the yard of a fort in Armaghe…**

**1230 Hours…**

The sounds of gunfire continue to erupt as dummy targets composed of scarecrows tied with circular plates are being punctured with bullet holes.

"Alright boys, all of you are getting better! Keep it up!", Michael yelled as gunfire continue to rang out in the yard.

The newly recruited men of the ALC are currently being drilled to fight along the lines of the ALC's war doctrine. So far, the results are showing up good. While the recruits often found difficulty in using the rifles at first hand due to the fact that the rifles are much more complicated than muskets, this problem eventually ceased to exist once these men have been accustomed to how the rifle works. Just as the first recruits that the ALC have prior to the rebellion being declared "official", these new recruits liked the rifles due to its kill power, light weight, and accuracy not to mention that it is not a loud mouth.

As men continue to make their shots, lots of spent cartridge casings litter the ground and the smell of gunpowder became stronger as each salvo pass by. Additional men are coming in and out delivering crates containing ammunition and more guns which the recruits are going to use through carts pulled by horses. Each cart contained several large wooden boxes which contain the war materiel and the men driving the carts are unloading the wooden boxes with the help of some men inside the fort most of these were officers or men that are waiting their turn to train or are resting from their training.

As the men are unloading the crates, Michael approached them.

"What are these crates holding up?", Michael asked.

"Bolt rifles and the newly-made submachine guns, Commander", one of the ALC soldiers unloading the crates said.

"Can you give me one of the submachine guns?", Michael asked.

"Yes, Commander", the ALC soldier answered.

Without a second word, the ALC soldier opened up a box and showed it to Michael who grabbed the gun inside the box. No mistaking it, the gun inside the box is a functioning copy of the Thompson Submachine gun a.k.a the "Tommy Gun" and beside where the submachine gun is resting is a box magazine. The only difference is that it is a bit rougher than usual and some parts are welded weirdly.

"On what cartridge is this gun chambered to?", Michael asked as he twirled the gun in inspecting it.

"It's chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge, Commander", the ALC soldier replied.

"Good, it's the classic eh?", Michael said, "And a box magazine? How many bullets does this little fella here can fire?"

"Each box magazine can hold thirty rounds, Commander", the ALC soldier replied, "It's designed for close-range and CQC combat."

"I see, is there any other new weapons?", Michael said.

"Other than the submachine gun, a semi-automatic carbine and a handgun are being developed as well as we speak", the ALC soldier replied, "And the first handguns to be finished will be assigned to field officers."

"Alright, I get it but can this submachine gun be equipped with a suppressor as well?", Michael asked.

"Yes, Commander", the ALC soldier said, "When manufacturing these submachine guns, the consideration in stealth operations was taken into account in order to produce a weapon that can be used to take out enemy personnel without much noise. The same also goes for the carbine and handgun. Oh yeah, some of these submachine guns are being used in training by now."

"I see, that makes our job all the way easier", Michael said, "Oh, what about the heavy machine guns? And what is this training?"

"Eight new heavy machine guns have already been created as of now", the ALC soldier said, "And more are still coming out as creating these guns have been given top priority. As for the training, the submachine guns are being used to train our soldiers on close quarter combat situations."

"I see. So where are the heavy machine guns?", Michael asked.

"There are currently being used to train the men on how to use them correctly in the heavy support fire role", the ALC soldier answered, "To be honest Commander, our guys have a hard time crafting those. We're lucky we managed to create eight."

"I see", Michael replied, "Uh… soldier, what is this gun called?"

"That submachine gun is designated as the M3 SMG sir", the soldier said, "While the carbine is called the MS4 carbine and the handgun's designation is the MH1 handgun. The heavy machine gun is called the M2 heavy machine gun, Commander."

"Understood", Michael replied.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a yard in another fort in Armaghe…**

**1244 Hours…**

The sounds of heavy machine gun fire cackling are heard all throughout the fort. Spent casings of .50 BMG cartridges are spilled around an M2 heavy machine gun which is being manned by an ALC soldier. Beside the ALC soldier manning the machine gun are more heavy machine guns being manned by soldiers and are doing the same thing as the first one. As the heavy machine guns fire, the sounds of spent casings clattering on the ground are heard alongside the gunfire the machine guns are creating.

The same kind of scarecrows is also used in this live fire exercise except that the punishment that these things are receiving is far worse than what they had from the rifles. Possessing both high firepower and penetration, these heavy machine guns are capable of ripping scores of enemy infantry and can provide a much stronger suppression fire support than the ACRF-40 light machine gun. The only hitch is, as its classification implies, is that it is heavy which will limit an infantry element's mobility although it will allow said infantry element to take on Reconquista forces that are several times larger in terms of numbers than it provided that they have the ammunition to fight with by itself and much easier if it has support from other ALC assets like artillery and other infantry elements.

As it stands, the ALC's combat doctrine revolves around combined arms strategies and tactics with an emphasis on mobility and surprise attacks all the while avoiding a head-to-head engagement against the far more superior Reconquista forces both in numbers and firepower. The addition of heavy machine guns to the ALC arsenal now permits an ALC force to take on a larger Reconquista force with a chance of coming back alive after the battle which they won't be able to do in the first place. Aside from that, the heavy machine guns also provide an excellent means of destroying dragons and armored enemies due to the large .50 BMG rounds that it fires not to mention that it can also be used in reducing the enemy's infantry battle formations to small pockets from tight-knit ones which is where medieval-era imperial tactics and strategies work best. The problem, at this point, is that these heavy machine guns are very scarce at the moment. Still, if they were to secure more areas that are rich in metals, this won't be a problem.

After several minutes of continuous firing, the soldiers manning the machine guns ceased firing not because they ran out of ammunition but because they heard a sharp and solid "STOP" that came from their commander.

As the barrels of the heavy machine guns smoke, Kenneth is making his way towards the machine gunners who seem to give him an "All Clear" message.

"How's the new guns doing?", Kenneth asked after he managed to get next to the ALC soldiers.

"All right, Commander", one of the soldiers replied.

"Man, never expected that you have weapons like this from where you came from Commander", another soldier said, "With this, we can trash those dickheads as much as we want."

"Glad to hear that soldier", Kenneth replied, "Anyways, keep these things up in good condition. I'm going back to oversee how the new tech heads are doing their job."

"Yes, Commander", the soldiers said as Kenneth turned and walked away.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a training ground in another fort in Armaghe…**

**1258 Hours…**

"HYYYAAAA!"

A loud shout rang inside the fort as an ALC soldier swung his wooden sword in a vertical manner at a training dummy. As the dummy got swished to the side, the same ALC soldier then thrust his wooden sword straight through the dummy causing it to get knocked down on the ground.

Aside from the use of rifles and other small arms weaponry, the soldiers of the ALC are also being trained in the use of "archaic" weapons like swords and spears although swords are given more emphasis. At the insistence of Commander Simon, it was agreed that each soldier must learn how to use melee weapons. The reason for this is that rifles and other ranged weapons are designed for ranged combat and it is very evident that ranged troops are always vulnerable at melee no matter how good their ranged weapon is. Overall, the point of this training is to ensure that no ALC soldier will be caught defenseless in all ranges especially at melee which is what this training is designed to alleviate.

From the sidelines, Simon is busy supervising the training himself. After all, he was the one who insisted this in the first place. He himself is good with a sword and he can proudly admit it himself. During his entire army days, he managed to kill a total of well over four hundred enemies with a sword alone and around fifty of those are mages which he managed to kill luckily because those nobles were chanting when he attacked them and they didn't expected a sword running through them as they chanted. The funny and interesting thing about this fact is that he managed to achieve all of these kills with the same sword. Unfortunately, that sword got destroyed when he ran it straight at a big-assed bastard's skull. As how he would describe it, that particular bastard's skull is tougher than steel and he heard his sword snap after slamming it at that bastard's skull. Either way, he still managed to kill the bastard at the cost of his sword which would have become a good war trophy and even a souvenir if it didn't break.

Simon dismissed those thoughts as he saw an ALC officer approached him. The ALC officer saluted him which he casually returned and spoke to him.

"Commander, we have additional recruits waiting outside", the ALC officer said, "We need you there for a moment."

"Hmm… how many are they?", Simon asked.

"They are around a hundred of them", the ALC officer replied.

"Alright, let's get them", Simon said.

The ALC officer then walked and let Simon follow him. However, before the two ventured out, Simon entrusted the supervision of the training of the men inside to another ALC officer before leaving. Before Simon walked away, he glanced at the men currently training and smirked. The men are making progress but it is still not enough on his standards. Still, at least they are showing some progress.

After that, Simon turned his attention on the ALC officer that requested him to follow and walked on the same way as the ALC officer.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a makeshift building somewhere in Armaghe…**

**1410 Hours…**

The interior of the room is desolate of any activity. Only a small and faint beam of light illuminates the inside of the room. It was peaceful and quiet… until the door was violently blasted open and men armed with submachine guns stormed in. Four men, wielding the newly-made submachine guns, fired burst of .45 ACP cartridges at the dummies that are inside the room. The dummies fell the moment they were hit by the bullets. There are six dummies inside, three of which were taken down by the first man that rushed in. The four men still kept their guns trained even though there is not a single target on sight.

"All clear", the lead man said as he lowered his submachine gun and the three other men followed suit.

After that, the four men hurried outside.

When they got outside, more men are seen scurrying to and fro in what appears to be a complex of sorts most of which are busy pushing crates on carts.

A good deal of time has already passed and the ALC has already begun implementing various combat approaches that completely sets them apart from Reconquista and other kingdoms for that matter when it comes to combat. Examples include breaching a cramped up room and take control of the enclosed area as fast as possible to prevent the defending enemies to render an effective counter attack.

As the men walked, they were all sweating and drops of their own sweat are falling off them as they walked. Not much later, they all reached Henry and they saluted upon making contact. Henry returned the salute before he spoke.

"I see that you men all coped up with the new tactics", Henry said.

"Yes, sir", one of the ALC soldiers said, "We're training in this kind of battle for a month already."

"That's good to hear soldier", Henry replied, "I've received news from the top brass that a major offensive will be carried out in the future so I want all of you prepared for battle at all times. Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir", all four of the ALC soldiers said in unison.

"Alright, all four of you are now dismissed", Henry said as the men saluted before leaving.

As soon as the four men are far away, Henry walked away and went towards a large group of men who seem to be waiting for something. As soon as the men noticed Henry, they immediately formed themselves up and saluted once Henry entered hearing range.

"Reporting for duty Commander", the men all said sternly in unison.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the capitol building of Armaghe…**

**1610 Hours…**

Mark, James, Simon, and William are all inside the former office of the now-captured Baron Montagu. On the table in front of them lies many maps and they are discussing matters. There is not a single sound inside the room other than their voices as they talked.

"So are there any reports on Saltisbury?", Mark asked.

"Yes", Simon said, "According to our scouts, that big city is surrounded by forested hills. However, there is quite a good deal of flat land between the city and the hills."

"So that means a head-on assault is out of the option?", James asked.

"As bad as it sounds, yes", Simon replied, "Also, our scouts were unable to enter the city by infiltration as the city is in an absolute lockdown. However, we received word that the entirety of the Imperial Dragon Knights is stationed there along with a large compliment of mages and Imperial troops."

"They're starting to take things rough and serious huh?", Mark said.

"Considering what we have done here, it's clear that they'll be doing something like that", William added.

Mark shrugged before he replied.

"They're just paying the price for being sloppy", Mark said, "I honestly doubt how the hell they're still in power if they are this lax."

"The Church plays a big role in handling this kingdom", William answered, "And to be honest, the current leader of Reconquista is a former priest himself."

"Bullshit", Mark commented.

Honestly, Mark didn't like governments that are ruled by a religious faction from the shadows. In this case, the government is lead by one right in public. His reasoning is that such governments are all influenced by various religious restrictions and observance which will hamper the government's task in the long run because the various reforms and laws needed to make a nation prosperous usually falls as heresy or a violation to the religious faction's teachings. Therefore, religious-influenced governments of this kind are weak as they are all limited by whatever religious teachings that they uphold in fulfilling their duties. Examples of this are the radically Islamic countries back at earth which can't make a single progress because progress equates to heresy. Religious teachings first before the people's welfare? Fuck that shit. Human lives are more important than some bullcrap paper written by a faggot that was killed by his own experiment. Oh yeah, that same bullshit paper is comparable to some loser's gay porn magazine.

"Agreed", James added, "I'm going to bet that asshole will be condemning us as demons later on."

Simon chuckled at James' comment.

"That's how things are done here", Simon said, "If you do things that deviate from their teachings, you're going to get branded as a heretic or something of being an enemy."

"Anyways, let's get back on topic", Mark said.

The three other men then calmed themselves up before Mark continued.

"What's the condition of the enemy forces in the area?"

"Very high for us to take on", William said, "As we now know, we can't take the city head on with our current numbers. We need to do something else."

"We can just set up a blockade of sorts or even send raider teams to harass them and steal their resources whenever they try to get out", James suggested.

"That's possible but it will still be costly to us", Mark replied, "They still have their air support with them which means that they can simply airlift their resources and materiel safely in one way or another. What we need is to weaken their defenses strong enough to push forward. Alternatively, we can also use our long arrow artilleries and light howitzers but we might not be able to attack using it in conjunction with our infantry."

"This is going to be our first battle right?", James asked.

"Yes, and this is gonna get really ugly as how I see it now", Mark said, "Damn, I wish we have some Tomahawk Launchers with us to easily knock down their defenses."

"Tomahawk? What is that?", William asked.

"Just an artillery piece", Mark replied before sighing, "If we just happened to have some of our combat armor with us here, this Reconquista crap will be a little pushover."

"So, until we don't have a concrete plan to take that city, we can't attack right?", Simon asked.

Mark just nodded.

"Compared to those idiots, I'm not stupid to waste soldiers for something like this", Mark said, "Casualties are always a part of war but I'm going to make sure those deaths will be worth it as much as possible. Anyways, we can use the time we are thinking of how that to crack that big-assed nut into sharpening our men in battle. Better trained soldiers are always a good all-purpose asset in war after all."

"I agree with you", Simon said, "If we can at least have our soldiers better trained than those of Reconquista, we might tilt the scales to our favor."

"The bigger bastard doesn't always win. Is that what are you trying to say General?", James asked.

Mark smiled before replying.

"Glad to hear that from you Commander", Mark said.

The four people continued to discuss several more matters as time itself fleeted.

* * *

**Meanwhile, outside a large weapon forge in Armaghe…**

**1700 Hours…**

Kenneth is currently walking towards the door leading to the largest weapon forge in Armaghe and it's quite busy in the minimum if the smoke belching out of the chimneys were any indication. He is already stretching his back as he walked due to the huge load of tasks he did for the day. Even for a ranger, tasks like these will eventually get him as he's still a human after all.

However, that moment of tiredness went down the drain when he saw what appeared to be kids below fifteen years old waiting outside the forge and most of them are carrying forging tools with them and, if his eyes aren't fooling him, one of those kids look like below ten years old. Upon making out the shapes of the kids, Kenneth did a double take to see if they are really kids. After making a positive confirmation, the more important question is what are these kids doing here?

A passing gunsmith tried to get Kenneth's attention which proved to be an easy task and spoke.

"Sarge, you're just in time to see our new recruits", the gunsmith said.

"What new recruits?", Kenneth asked.

The gunsmiths simply glanced at the group of kids ahead of them.

"Wait…", Kenneth began, "You're telling me that these kids in front of us are our recruits?"

"Can't help it sarge", the gunsmith replied, "Honestly, we've been receiving lots of recruits over the month to work on the forges and even in the masonry too. It just happened that many young kids are also joining in. Seems that they got interested in our trade."

Kenneth thought about it. After a few minutes, everything suddenly made sense. Ever since they captured this city, they've been getting recruits every single day at a constant basis both in terms of soldiers and various support personnel. Still, he never expected that kids will even join in.

"Alright, alright", Kenneth said, "Just take those kids in for some orientation. It's better that we inform them of what to do right now. Oh yeah, how many are they anyways?"

"Uhm… at around two hundred and still counting", the gunsmith said, "Don't worry Sarge, most of these kids are children of the blacksmiths that joined us so they should probably know something about our trade."

"_Great… we're now one step closer to having child soldiers_", Kenneth thought.

Kenneth and the gunsmith then proceeded to walk towards the large group of kids waiting at the door of the weapon forge. As soon as the kids heard the two approaching men, they all immediately stood up and prepared to greet the two incoming men.

"Alright boys, follow us", Kenneth said which made the kids follow them inside the door which the gunsmith opened.

* * *

**Meanwhile, somewhere in Iraq, Earth…**

**0150 Hours…**

The sky above the lonely and quiet deserts of Iraq is still enshrouded in the dark void of the night. The stars that hung up in the sky gleam like tiny white diamonds and these are the only ones that provide illumination in the area… except for the advanced thermal imaging scanners of Comanche gunships that are currently flying across the sky.

As the night sky continued to gleam on, a large formation of sixteen Comanche gunships flew at their top speeds. It is clear that they are in a hurry.

"[COMMS] This is Hunter-Killer 1-1 to Hunter-Killer flights 1 to 4, we are to rendezvous with elements of the 18th Armored Battalion somewhere in Al-Anbar to participate in an intercept mission to retrieve stolen American military hardware. Is that clear?", the lead pilot said.

"[COMMS] Understood", the only thing that was heard on the radio chatter.

The large Comanche gunship flight continued to speed up towards their destination with their engines roaring in power as they moved in the vast darkness of the night sky.

_-TURN 12 END-_

* * *

**PS: Well, here's for Turn 12. **

**As you have read in this fic, I made it that Cromwell is a priest himself before becoming the head of the Reconquista movement. Consequently, please try not to flame me if I did really get it wrong. He does look one after all in my opinion.  
**

**Oh, before I forgot, here's the new weapons that the ALC now have:**

**M2 HMG – currently produced in small numbers (classic and "old school" M2 Browning machine gun)**

**M3 SMG – currently produced in small numbers (based off the "Tommy Gun")**

**MH1 Handgun – still in development (based off the M1911 handgun)**

**MS4 Carbine – still in development (based off the M1 Carbine)**

**BTW, the next turn will likely focus on the armored convoy. If I did do it, I simply just wanted to detail their experience before they get transported to the ZnT universe.**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	14. Turn 13: Gritty Bullets

**Author's Notes: Before I start making words about this fic, I'm outlining the current conditions of my two other fics. Here are notes for my other stories:**

**TWGOK: Beyond God's Mask – I'm currently polishing this one. Due to Keima's limited social interaction with others pre-TWGOK and lack of scenes depicting that, I'm currently stuck on how to make him interact with his next target not to mention that his next target doesn't have much screen time in TWGOK.**

**Sentient Familiar of Zero – I'm reading some religious books mainly Christianity ones since I'm going to use those in later chapters. Also, for a spoiler, Tabitha will take center stage in the upcoming chapter. Because Tabitha didn't do much in the first season of ZnT, I'm pretty much stuck on how I will make her behave in the next chapter.**

**Now that I informed the status of the two other fics that I have, I'm going to inform that this Turn will now cover the adventures of the armored convoy that I talked about several Turns ago. Since this fic is a ZnT x CnC: Generals xover, I assume that it's just fair to include contents from the Generalsverse. In this case, the armored convoy is the answer.**

**Speaking of the convoy, I am making several modifications to it (In a sense of realism). The following are:  
1) **The Humvees will be able to carry a maximum of 8 passengers (including the driver and gunner).  
**2) **All tanks will be able to one-shot any target that isn't sufficiently armored enough to survive a tank shell.**  
3) **The carrying capacity of the Chinooks has beenset at 40 troops instead of the 8 infantry seen in the game. However, they will still be able to carry a maximum of two tanks like they do in game. However, for realism reasons, they will NOT be able to carry even one Overlord Tank.  
**4) **All US vehicles are equipped with cold fusion engines in this story. This is not me overpowering the armored convoy in any way. Rather, it is because I have read that it seems possible to equip such combat vehicles with this kind of engine based on an article I read over the net and it is in this webpage ( see the "Military Applications" section ). Cold Fusion engines aren't used yet on any vehicles whatsoever yet. However, considering that CnC: Generals takes place in the 2020's (near future), it's justified that these engines can be fielded at this point in time not to mention that the USA in this game appears to be more advanced that RL America (i.e. Crusader tanks can be manned by just one soldier, Point Defense Lasers that can instantly shoot down missiles and aircraft as well as zapping infantry soldiers in one shot, Particle Uplink Cannons, etc.. What more can you ask?). And honestly, it's likely due to gameplay reasons that the US vehicles weren't fitted with these at it will theoretically make them much more powerful.  
**5) **Flasbang grenades WON'T be able to kill enemy infantry like they do in the game. IRL, Flashbang grenades only blind and deafen the senses of anyone caught in the blast not kill them although there are chances that they could be kill either way assuming they just have some really good deal of bad luck. The only thing that they'll do in this story is what the Flashbang grenades in RL do.

**Important note: I have read some posts regarding the Elves' Counter ability in Spacebattles forums and, based on what I have read, it's a defensive magic of sorts considering it can stop any solid projectiles heading on it. Considering that, I might implement that laser-based weaponry are an effective counter against it alongside thermobaric/airburst weapons. The former is because it's just a beam of light that can deal damage and cannot miss while the latter bypasses Counter by the nasty blast wave that it produces to damage its intended targets. Since the ALC will not be having any contacts with the Elves in the Holy Lands anytime soon, you guys have plenty of time to appeal to me that this isn't the case and state the reason why.**

**Now to answer some reviews…**

**HegemonAlexandrov : **Add the fact that these same elite commandos are also armed with the best weapons that the United States military has to offer.

**OBSERVER01 :** That's right though the ALC aircrews won't be having the pressurized cockpit and g-suits that you normally found on modern era Air Superiority Fighter jets. Still, they'll be having those two except that it'll be on a WWII-era design.

**Spartan016 : **Yes, you're right. You can hope.

Anyways, as for your question regarding the Command vehicle, that'll be the last ground vehicle that the Albion Republic will be able to field due to the satellites that it will rely on as they will need to launch those first into orbit before the M9 Command vehicle can use its advanced radar suite. Either way, even without the satellites, the M9 will still be able to provide radar coverage albeit in a reduced capacity. Oh yeah, I'm still thinking of a design for the satellite.

As for the looting, it practically won't be any worth the effort as the earth tech that Romalia (in canon) will be obsolete by CnC: Generals tech standards but they'll still be deadly as always. Besides, who needs antiquated WWI and WWII-era weapons (and even Cold-War era weapons ) when you got 21st century weapons like lasers?

**reader : **There will be a gun capable of firing the 7.62 mm NATO round in this story. Anyways, 20mm and 30mm caliber weapons are much better in whipping those suckers. Hell, a single .50 BMG can already kill a square-class mage in one shot especially if it's aimed at the head.

**XxDELTAxX : **I would love to but the complicatedness of this story prevents me as such. I am currently reading the ZnT info found on Spacebattles forums so I can merge the CnC: Generalsverse with ZnT.

**Guest :** Actually, there's a really interesting scene later on regarding Fouquet which is the reason why she hasn't made any second appearance in this fic as I'm reserving her (along with Tiffania) for something big later on. And as for the armored convoy, you're right. This Turn takes place before they were transported and centers around the armored convoy itself.

**Now that the questions are accounted for, I would like to tell you guys that I'm a bit disappointed that the author of ZnT, Noboru Yamaguchi, died while his work is still left unfinished. Man, ZnT is an interesting story and the idea of its author passing away is a bummer. I wonder if there's somebody that's going to take over the reins in finishing this story with the quality of the work still present. Oh yeah, Felix3D's "En Memorandum" is a good poem of sorts to read. I recommend that you guys read it.**

**Anyways, back on story. Be prepared for this Turn coz this will be one helluva long Turn (around 11k words). This will be packed with several action scenes by the way and the reason for this Turn is simply because I'm not satisfied with dumping them on the frying pan outright. I'm giving them some screen time to show their badassery before they find themselves fighting some retard nobles later on. Oh yeah, new Story Cover. Hope you guys like it.**

**Oh yeah, please look at my DeviantArt account (TASpecialist), you'll see a new vehicle there. BTW, I might change the names of all the vehicles that I'm doing there sometime in the future. All the vehicles there are not yet final.**

**Now, with my rants finally finished, here's Turn 13! Hope you enjoy reading!**

* * *

**========== Turn 13: Gritty Bullets ==========**

_"Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead."  
__- David Farragut: Battle of Mobil Bay, Aug. 5, 1864_

**At a street in Al-Anbar Governorate, Iraq (outskirts of Al-Anbar)…**

**0400 Hours…**

Al-Anbar is a large governorate of Iraq. In fact, it's almost the size of California in the United States. However, unlike California, this governorate is inversely proportional to its size in certain aspects. One of the ironic reasons is that, while this is the largest governorate in Iraq, it's also the most sparsely populated but it could be explained by its environment. Technically speaking, the reason why it is sparsely populated isn't because of natural reasons like floods, sandstorms, and whatnot but due to the insanely high insurgent and terrorist activity happening in this area. Al-Anbar's strategic location made it an important infiltration route for insurgents to move in and out of Iraq especially to Baghdad. Aside from an infiltration route, it also served as an important GLA stronghold and even fall back base whenever they got hard-pressed by American forces that were dispatched to Iraq and this area can be easily reinforced with GLA reinforcements coming from states bordering Iraq which all exhibit high GLA activity either because the terrorist organization has a significant presence there or they control the area.

A US army group consisting of six Humvees, five Crusader Tanks, and three Paladin Tanks complemented by four Tomahawk Launchers, three Avengers, two Microwave Tanks and three Ambulances has set up a perimeter in an urban street littered with what appears to be abandoned buildings located at the edge of Al-Anbar. The vehicles that comprise this group are all equipped with drones ranging from Scout drones to Battle drones and even to Hellfire drones.

The street, meanwhile, is devoid of any activity save for the occasional tumbleweeds that roll across the ground. As the US combat vehicles held their ground, a large formation of Comanche attack helicopters accompanied by four Combat Chinooks made a fly past above the combat vehicles with their engines letting out a roar as they did so. The Comanche attack helicopters are now fitted with cold fusion engines which made them even more useful as their newly equipped cold fusion engines allowed them to stay airborne for a much longer time… and even permanently as long as the attack helicopters themselves weren't shot down in the process. Also, due to changes in battlefield scenarios for the US army, it was decided that the few remaining US army combat vehicles and aircrafts currently in the Middle East be refitted with such engines to compensate for their now few numbers with extended operational range. This decision proved easy to implement as there are few vehicles to be refitted in the current situation and it also maximized the effectiveness of the remaining US military assets to conduct military operations.

At the same time just a few blocks away from the US army vehicles, a group of four Rangers are making a run in an abandoned alleyway with their rifles at the ready. Once they reached the end of the alleyway, the lead ranger raised his fist up in the air signaling the other rangers to stop. As soon as the rangers stop, the lead ranger whispered to his men to take cover and he followed a moment after it. The reason for them taking cover is explained a little later.

A long convoy of machine gun-armed Technicals and Battle Buses escorting several rocket buggies and some trucks which turned out to be Quad Cannons passed the road just a few meters beside the alleyway that they are hiding on. However, the rangers went wide-eyed when they saw a large vehicle at the end of the line: An Overlord Tank and is armed with quad Gatling guns and a front-faced spiked ram.

"Oh… fuck", a ranger said referring to the Overlord tank, "Just how the hell did those suckers get that?"

"Concentrate on the mission, private", the lead Ranger said as he cocked the safe lock of his M16A4 assault rifle, "If we managed to get through with this op, we should likely get that big-assed monster as ours."

"Yeah, that's if we're still alive", the first Ranger retorted.

The lead Ranger ignored the first ranger's reply and grabbed his radio instead.

"[COMMS] This is unit Theta, we spotted a GLA armor column. Any orders?", the lead ranger asked.

A static noise was heard in the radio for a moment before a voice came in.

"[COMMS] Maintain stealth and try to locate any additional GLA forces in the area. Do not engage unless necessary", a female voice on the other line said.

"[COMMS] Copy that, unit Theta out", the lead ranger replied.

When the lead ranger was sure that the GLA armor convoy is gone, he rose up his fist in an expanded form and made a flip down sign ordering them to move out. The small ranger fire team then continued on their way.

* * *

**Meanwhile, in the third floor of an abandoned building somewhere in Al-Anbar…**

**0420 Hours…**

A room in the second floor of the building is empty save for a dusty bed and some broken vases and furniture. However, a man in some ghillie suit is in a prone position stealthily peering outside the building through a window that has its glasses broken through the scope of his MSG90 sniper rifle.

So far, he is seeing a large mass of GLA rebels lazing outside some sort of an abandoned bar with their AK-47 rifles strapped to them. As the group of GLA rebels are lazing, a Technical and a Battle Bus arrived on scene. The former dropped off a man who seems to be a leader of sorts if the clothes that he wears are any indication which is much better than the ones worn by the GLA rebels who all look rugged in one way or another due to their clothes. The man that got out of the technical waved his hand up and the GLA rebels immediately went inside the Battle Bus which seemed empty. As soon as the rebels went inside the Battle Bus, the man then went back inside the Technical. After that, both the Technical and Battle Bus drove out of the area leaving nothing but dust and some tumbleweed in the derelict street.

As soon as the GLA rebels went away, the Pathfinder immediately abandoned his vantage point silently. He went for the door and slowly opened it. When he finally opened the door, another Pathfinder greeted him through a hand signal telling to follow the second Pathfinder. The two pathfinders then went down the stairs located on the other end of a long corridor. Once they reached the first floor of the building, they immediately opened the front door and they were greeted by a four-man Ranger team who has taken position outside the building that they were in just a few moments ago.

"Did you see anything?", a Ranger asked the Pathfinders.

"Yes, lots of hostiles most likely heading for the city square", one of the Pathfinders said.

"Understood", the ranger replied, "Anyways, we got to rendezvous with the others near an abandoned warehouse just a kilometer away from here. We got word that a lot of our stolen cache is sitting there."

"Copy that", the same Pathfinder replied.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the city plaza of Al-Anbar…**

**Same time…**

A Spy drone is flying at high altitudes over another derelict part of Al-Anbar. As the Spy drone flew, its state-of-the-art camera and sensor equipment is monitoring the ground below looking for any potential hostiles, assets, and other targets of value. After a few more minutes of flying, the Spy drone detected a large concentration of GLA forces in a large open area. GLA troops that were detected were armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades as well as machine guns. Enemy armor was also detected in the form of several Technicals and half a dozen Scorpion tanks parked right next to two Overlord tanks where one is currently going in some sort of modifications if the rebels on it attaching something to the tanks' hulls are any indication while the other is the same one that the Rangers earlier saw. Quad Cannons were also detected amongst the GLA force. Aside from the GLA combat units, large crates containing supplies and other war materiel are spotted lying on the ground and two large trailer trucks were also spotted likely carrying more usable resources parked near a large building. Considering the composition of the GLA force, this is most likely a supply unit. Since the Spy drone itself has stealth properties and combined it with the altitude that it is flying at as well as the GLA forces currently on a lax and lack of any sort of detector, the Spy drone was able to slip past unnoticed.

On the other side of the street where the large mass of GLA forces was located, a Quad Cannon is parked in front of a building that looked like a mosque's entrance. The gunner crews that are supposed to man it are currently resting on the walls of the mosque. Aside from the Quad cannon, a pair of Rocket Buggies was also parked in front of the Mosque's walls with crates presumed to be loaded with AP rockets assuming that the pointed stubs sticking out of the partially opened crates are any indication sitting next to the parked Rocket Buggies. The men that are supposed to man the Rocket Buggies are resting against the crates that are not yet opened. Some were drinking some sort of liquid which is most likely an alcoholic beverage of sorts while others are smoking.

The Spy drone continued to buzz overhead the unsuspecting GLA forces transmitting live video feed as it did so. To an untrained and naked eye, the Spy drone is nothing but a glint in the blue-white sky above and can even be mistaken for a bird flying up in the sky.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the area secured by the armored convoy (inside a Humvee)…**

**0430 Hours…**

A Ranger is currently resting on his seat inside a Humvee with his chin resting on his fist pointing upwards and eyes closed. There are four other people inside the Humvee other than him although only two of the Rangers are currently working. One is manning the wheel while the other is manning the communications suite. Just as the Ranger is taking his rest, the Ranger manning the communications suite spoke to him.

"Lieutenant, the bulk of the enemy forces is on the plaza right now. Captured Chinese armor is also spotted as well", the communications officer said.

The lieutenant slowly gazed up as if he woke up from sleep.

"So we spotted the big fish huh?", the Ranger now known as the lieutenant said.

The communications officer frowned before replying.

"Lieutenant, you shouldn't be slacking off during the mission", the communications officer addressed.

"Okay, okay", the lieutenant said, "Just can't help it. Getting dumped from one battlefield to another is very tiresome. Anyways, how are our forces doing?"

"Our forces are spread throughout the city by now but we can't still figure out where did the GLA hid our hardware that they stole from us", the communications officer replied.

"_Damn, the GLA is this good_", the lieutenant thought to himself, "_Guess they weren't a bunch of dicks after all_._"_

The lieutenant was about to think more deeply but an urgent call suddenly came up when a beep rang inside the Humvee

"Lieutenant, we got a transmission from Command", the communications officer said, "And it seems it's kinda for you."

"Alright, patch it up to me", the lieutenant replied.

The communications officer then handed over the specialized telephone equipment inside the Humvee to the lieutenant who then immediately positioned the earphones of the equipment on his ears and the in-built microphone just a few inches away from his mouth.

"[COMMS] Alright, I'm here", the lieutenant said, "[COMMS] Is there anything that needs my attention?"

"[COMMS] We received reports that an important cargo of ours was also stolen by the GLA and Intel reports suggest that there's a likely possibility that it's currently in your area of operations. You are assigned to recover it as soon as possible if it is there and you are authorized to use any means necessary to retrieve it back", the voice on the other side of the line said.

"_An important cargo? Why didn't I heard this one before?_", the lieutenant thought to himself before he replied.

"[COMMS] Is there any forms of identification so I can discern if the object that we recovered is the cargo?", the lieutenant asked.

"[COMMS] The cargo itself is being carried in a closed multi-wheeled trailer which is pulled by a ballast tractor at the time it was stolen by GLA forces. The tractor itself is likely compromised at the moment but the trailer in which the cargo is contained in is modified that it cannot be opened by enemy forces in the event that it fell on enemy hands", the voice on the other line said.

"[COMMS] I apologize for this but what is the cargo?", the lieutenant asked.

"[COMMS] I do not know any information regarding it other than that. The cargo itself was informed to us by the CIA and they gave it the code name of 'Black Testarossa'", the voice on the other line said, "[COMMS] Another thing that I would like to inform about this new update is that we also have several important tech heads and scientist who are responsible for 'Black Testarossa' captured by GLA forces. You must locate them as well."

"[COMMS] Understood", the lieutenant replied.

The call terminated after it. The lieutenant hung up the phone and gave it back to the communications officer.

"_Black Testarossa huh?_", the lieutenant thought, "_And the CIA? Just what is with this mystery cargo?_"

* * *

**Meanwhile, at another part of Al-Anbar…**

**0445 Hours…**

A group of Rangers accompanied by some Missile Defenders are traversing an abandoned city street at a cautious pace. So far, the Rangers aren't discovered yet. Due to the time of the day, visibility isn't perfect yet allowing the group to hide in the darkness of the dusk. Without their night vision gear, the Rangers can't even see their comrades.

Suddenly, the Ranger leading the group ordered his team to stop.

"Sir, anything?", one of the Rangers asked the leader.

"Get inside that building there", the lead Ranger said, "We're going to make a detour."

"Understood", the Ranger said as he and everyone started to make their way towards the rather large building that the lead Ranger pointed at.

The team was finally inside the building after several minutes. Many buildings in Al-Anbar are linked to each other in one way or another such as through back doors and alleyways. The lead Ranger ordered his team to go inside the building as it is likely connected to the other buildings in the area and, in doing so, reduces their risk of being spotted as they are using the buildings as cover.

The lead Ranger's decision somehow proved right as two Quad Cannons and a Technical passed the street that they were in just a few minutes ago. If the lead Ranger didn't ordered his men to go to the building, they might probably be some blood soup on the ground by now.

One of the Rangers peered on a window whose glasses have been reduced to nothing but jagged pieces of transparent plate and sighed as he witnessed the GLA vehicles perish in the distance.

"We're lucky we went here", the Ranger said, "Those guys can chew us pretty good with their guns."

While the Ranger is peering through the window, the lead Ranger tapped another Ranger who is holding some portable radar on his person.

"Do you see any hostiles on radar?", the lead Ranger asked.

"None sir", the Ranger holding the radar equipment said.

The lead Ranger paused and thought for a second before replying.

"Is it possible that the enemy is using GPS scramblers?", the lead Ranger asked.

"I don't know for sure but it's likely", the Ranger replied, "With them in possession of various captured electronics and hardware such as ours, there's a chance that they might have it."

The lead Ranger nodded on what one of his men said. Considering the circumstances that they are currently in, such a thing is a very likely possibility. On a not so good side, since they can't fully rely on their radars to ascertain the location of the GLA forces that they are up against, they are half blind in this situation. With the vehicles and other war materiel that they brought along with them in this area, it is very likely that the GLA are aware that they are here. The only problem now left is how the GLA will attack them and when. The GLA is the master when it comes to sneak attacks so guarding against an attack that can simply pop out of nowhere like a mushroom will be pretty tough despite having the tech advantage over them.

After some moments, another Ranger called out to the lead Ranger telling word of a new development.

"Sir, there's lots of GLA troops walking on the streets in our position", the Ranger said as he looked at the window.

"Are they closing in on our position?", the lead Ranger asked.

"Negative, they appear to be just passing the road down below", the Ranger said, "Sir, want us to pour in hot lead on them?"

"Negative, we are instructed not to engage the enemy at the moment. We need to locate our stolen equipment before we do", the lead Ranger said, "Anyways, continue with the advance, we need to link up with 2nd lieutenant Stiles' team. They're likely at the designated area by now", the lead Ranger said.

"Understood", the Ranger said as he and the other members of the group continued on their way after making sure that the GLA forces are gone.

"Okay, let's move men", the lead Ranger said as footsteps began to clatter inside the room that they were in as they made their way out.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the outskirts of a warehouse depot in Al-Anbar…**

**0500 Hours…**

Another team of US soldiers are currently scouting the outside of a large complex consisting of warehouses and derelict depots. The area appears to be abandoned considering the lack of any activity anywhere. Lots of badly beaten-up and rusted car frames litter the area with the majority of them stacked on top of the other especially in the junkyard part of the area.

The US soldiers, seeing the lack of any GLA forces in the area, entered the depot with virtually has its main gate completely torn down by disrepair, rust, or plain simple breaching and is wide enough to let three Crusader tanks roll in side by side. They entered through the gate without much opposition. All around them is a dusty complex littered with nothing of any value at all. There are some large steel bars lying around though all of them are in a not so good condition to be used. Barrels apparently filled with oil were also seen inside and these barrels appeared to have been simply left behind. They passed through the yard without fuzz and reached a large closed door.

The leader of the team instructed the Missile Defenders accompanying them and a couple of Rangers to stand guard a few yards away from the warehouse's entrance door while he and the remaining Rangers prepared to make a forced entry approach on the warehouse through the door.

The leader made hand gestures instructing the other men that are going to accompany him in breaching to which his subordinates responded accordingly. There are six rangers ready to make the breach including the leader and all are poised to make the move at a moment's notice

"One… Two… Three", the leader said as one of his subordinates kicked the door open with great force causing the door to almost get detached from its hinges.

All of the men that are part of the breaching team immediately stormed inside with their guns at the ready. Two of the men went for the left side and stood their ground while two other men went for the right. The leader and a Ranger took center point.

Inside, they saw something that made them scream "Jackpot" inside their minds: A Nuke Cannon and lying around it are crates containing shells for the Chinese self-propelled artillery. However, the Rangers immediately realized that they will not be able to claim their prize as four GLA troops happened to be near the Nuke Cannon with one of them on top of the Nuke Cannon's cabin attaching some sort of armor plates there.

The GLA troops, seeing the US soldiers, began to draw their guns but they were not able to do so because of the one order that the leader of the US soldiers said.

"FIRE!", the leader of the Rangers yelled.

Hot lead began to whistle inside the warehouse as the GLA troops inside began to drop like flies. The GLA soldier that happened to be on the roof of the Nuke Cannon's cabin fell off from where he is standing at when a 5.56x45mm cartridge left a hole on his skull head first into the ground. Since the US soldiers have their guns already trained to fire at any enemy target that shows up while those of the GLA soldiers weren't, the former were able to mop up the latter in short order and without additional unnecessary fuzz.

"MOVE! MOVE!", the lead Ranger said as he and his team quickly advanced towards the Nuke Cannon.

The Rangers formed up a defensive circle around the Nuke Cannon and began to secure it. Three of the Rangers began to inspect the crates containing the ammunition for the Nuke Cannon while the other three stood their ground.

"Sir, this crate contains nuclear shells", one of the Rangers said after confirming the contents of one of the crates.

"We also have neutron shells here", another Ranger added.

"Got it", the lead Ranger replied.

The Ranger in charge of the group tapped his communicator and spoke the moment he got on line.

"[COMMS] This is unit Gamma, we haven't found any of the stolen US Army equipment but we have located a stolen Nuke Cannon", the lead Ranger said, "We are currently securing it along with its provision of shells at the moment."

"[COMMS] Understood", a female voice on the other line said, "[COMMS] Secure that position while the other teams are finding the stolen hardware."

"[COMMS] Roger that", the lead Ranger said.

The lead Ranger terminated the call and placed his radio aside. He then scanned the area and, when he was sure that the coast is clear which is already obvious, he and the two other Rangers with him helped the Rangers already packing up the crates containing the Nuke Cannon's shells.

However, as they were sealing the lids of the crates after sorting out the shells to ensure that the shells are in good condition, gunfire suddenly blared outside the warehouse. The lead Ranger immediately grabbed his radio and contacted the men that he left inside.

"[COMMS] WHAT IS GOING ON THERE?!", the lead Ranger bellowed over the radio.

The lead Ranger didn't heard anyone reply and all that he can hear is gunfire ringing outside. However, a voice came up after several minutes.

"[COMMS] SIR! WE'RE SPOTTED! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE ASAP BEFORE THEY SEND IN THEIR ARMOR!", the voice on the other line yelled which belong to one of the lead Ranger's men, "WE'RE TAKING HEAVY FIRE DOWN HERE!"

"[COMMS] Understood, we're joining you down there after we patched things inside here. Hold on as much as you can while we secure the Nuke Cannon here", the lead Ranger replied.

"[COMMS] Affirmative", the Ranger on the other line said.

The Rangers inside the warehouse doubled their efforts in tidying up the crates for later transport and immediately rushed outside with their guns ready intending to join their allies who are now having a gun fight with the GLA forces outside. However, before going out, the lead Ranger radioed back and spoke over his communicator.

[COMMS] This is unit Theta, we are currently under fire from GLA forces. Requesting for reinforcements", the lead Ranger said.

[Understood] Understood, a pair of Crusader tanks, a Humvee, and a Comanche flight will be arriving at your coordinates. Please hold off the enemy forces until the reinforcements arrive", the female voice on the other line said.

"[COMMS] Affirmative", the lead Ranger said as he and his men hurried outside.

Outside, the lead Ranger saw his subordinates that he left outside already shooting it out with the GLA rebels who are poking out of the complex's toppled-over main gate. The attacking GLA force is backed up by two Technicals both of which are spraying heavy machine gun rounds on them and the rebels are using the pickup trucks as cover.

Not wasting any time, the lead Ranger opened fire on the GLA troops with his own rifles along the men that are with him and went near his subordinates that are already tying up the GLA troops.

"FIRE AT WILL!", the lead Ranger bellowed as he dove for cover when he closed the distance with his men while the others with him did the same.

The two sides continued to exchange gunfire as rubble, dust, and hot lead continued to whistle and tumble in the crossfire. Casings of spent ammunition continued to pile up on the ground as gunfire continued to roar in everyone's ears. Due to all the gunfire that is happening, the Missile Defenders were not able to use their Anti-Tank weaponry as they'll be exposed to enemy fire if they did so.

"Damn it! We're being chewed down here!", a Ranger bellowed, "Where's the backup?!"

"Just keep firing!", another Ranger yelled, "We just need to hold on till they arrive."

The shootout continued for almost half an hour before a familiar sound was heard in the area. That familiar sound is the distinct humming of a helicopter's rotor blades. Due to the nature of the sound, everyone instantly looked up in the sky and saw a flight of four Comanche attack helicopters. The GLA rocket soldiers were about to aim their rocket propelled grenade launchers at the attack helicopters but they were not able to do so as a tank shell suddenly slammed on a Technical just next to them throwing their aim off and knocking them down on their asses. The Technical, on the other hand, was thoroughly destroyed by the tank shell evidently seen as it was flipped over to the side and instantly burst into flames incinerating both the driver and the gunner into ashes. The other Technical sped away but was greeted by some .50 BMG rounds causing it to skid before being hit by a tank shell destroying it instantly.

The remaining GLA troops tried to flee after seeing their vehicles get destroyed. However, it all proved to be a vain attempt as the US soldiers and the newly-arrived reinforcements seized the opportunity to render a killing counterstrike at them.

"Eat this! Bitches!", a Ranger shouted as he fired his M240L machinegun on the GLA troops that are attempting to flee.

The other Rangers followed suit while the Missile Defenders switched to their FN P90 SMGs and opened fire. The GLA rebels themselves proved to be easy targets as they were all exposed giving the US soldiers a big target to hit. It didn't helped for the GLA troops about the Comanche attack helicopters above who simply mowed them down with their 30mm auto cannons easily thanks to the Comanche's advanced integrated Fire Control System either.

As soon as the GLA forces were wiped out, the US soldiers inside the warehouse cautiously went out of their hiding spots and slowly made their way towards the now dead GLA troops which are all sprawling at the entrance gate of the warehouse complex. As they advance, the burning chassis of what used to be the two Technicals continue to burn outside the complex giving out a thick black smoke as they burn.

The moment the US soldiers made contact with the corpses of the dead GLA troops, they inspected all of it first. The moment they were sure that the GLA troops are truly dead, all of them made a sigh of relief as the lowered their guns albeit still cocked to fire and with their pointer finger still ready to click the trigger.

"All clear", one of the Rangers said.

After some more stares at the surroundings, the lead Ranger instantly tapped his radio again and sent a message.

"[COMMS] This is unit Theta. Thanks for the support. I'll have some of the men under me commandeer the recovered Nuke Cannon back to our strong point", the lead Ranger said, "[COMMS] We're going to need some escort though."

"[COMMS] Understood, the Comanche flight that is with you will provide air cover while the Crusaders and Humvee will go with you. Unit Gamma is currently under fire from GLA forces just north east of your position. You must go there now to assist there", the female voice on the other line said.

"[COMMS] Roger that. We're heading to target area", the lead Ranger said.

The lead Ranger then placed his radio back in his pocket just in time to see the Nuke Cannon roll out of the warehouse with some of his men maneuvering it and then outside of the complex. As the Nuke Cannon, followed by the flight of Comanches, slowly receded on his sight, he ordered his men to move out.

"Alright men, let's move out!", the lead Ranger yelled as footsteps and the sound of wheels and tank tracks resounded on the dirt.

* * *

**Meanwhile, outside a yard of another warehouse depot at another side of Al-Anbar…**

**0500 Hours…**

It was still morning throughout Al-Anbar yet the sound of gunfire can now be heard. Lots of rifle and machine gun rounds along with the occasional sniper rounds are constantly flying everywhere as troops from both sides took cover to avoid getting shot.

"DAMN IT! WE'RE BEING PINNED DOWN HERE!", a Ranger yelled as he tried to help one of his fellow Rangers that was already wounded in spite of the hailstorm of bullets that the GLA forces are throwing at them.

"JUST RETURN FIRE! WE JUST NEED TO HOLD OUT!", another Ranger yelled.

Suddenly, the same Ranger received a radio message. The Ranger then grabbed his radio and spoke.

"[COMMS] What's your business?! Just hurry up! We're busy holding them off!", the Ranger shouted over the radio.

" [COMMS] Easy pal, this warehouse is a jackpot. I think almost all of our stolen hardware is here not to mention some sealed barrels of Anthrax Gamma and two fucking Overlord Tanks here. Man, I don't know if we are still missing something. Everything seems to be here. Oh wait a sec, there's an odd-looking cargo down here but it looks beaten and torn up…", the Ranger on the other side of the line trailed off.

"[COMMS] Never mind it. Just secure all of it as fast as you guys could and help us in driving these bastards off!", the Ranger said as he fired a 40mm grenade from his M320 Grenade Launcher causing an explosion on the area where the GLA troops that he's firing at were located.

[COMMS] Copy that. We're almost done", the Ranger on the other side of the line said, "[COMMS] Over and out."

The Ranger in question returned his radio back to where he grabbed it and spoke to his fellows while still firing.

"Alright unit Gamma, we're practically mission complete. The only thing that we need to do is make it out of here alive. Support's also coming in so this should be a breeze once they arrive", the Ranger said.

"Affirmative", the response of all the US soldiers said.

All of the soldiers then started exchanging fire with the GLA forces attacking them as usual. However, each men currently firing is now confident as they have their allies arriving at their location to help them out not to mention that their mission objective is already done.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a large building at another part of Al-Anbar…**

**0525 Hours…**

While a heated skirmish is going on between the American and GLA forces on another part of Al-Anbar, another small group of US soldiers consisting of Rangers, Missile Defenders, and two Pathfinders is making their way towards a large dilapidated building after silently stalking several GLA troops who they spotted is dragging a badly beaten-up American-looking man in some sort of a technician's outfit.

The US soldiers eventually found themselves staring at a large house with a large door capable of letting four people at once due to its two door design. The GLA troops that they followed simply went inside along with their likely prisoner. There are no other GLA troops outside the house and none at the windows either if their eyes weren't fooling them. Just to be safe, one of the Rangers used thermal-imaging binoculars and scanned the building with it.

"No hostiles on the second floor", the Ranger using the specialized binoculars said, "All hostiles located at the first floor just behind the door."

"Affirmative", another Ranger said as he tapped his radio.

"[COMMS] This is unit Epsilon, we have detected a GLA force here currently holding hostages. One of the hostages appears to be a technician. Asking permission to rescue the hostages", the Ranger said.

The Ranger knew that this is an out of their mission. After all, they were tasked with retrieving stolen American military hardware not rescue hostages. Still, the fact that the hostages in question might be US military personnel if the hostage that were dragged by the GLA rebels is any indication has enough salt for him to ask something like this. There was a momentary static over the radio before a female voice replied.

"[COMMS] Understood. You are authorized to make a rescue effort. We have received a mission update pertaining to a classified cargo of sorts and it is also said that there were some personnel that are part of the cargo. The order is to retrieve both the cargo and the personnel in question", the female voice said over the radio.

[COMMS] Copy that. Unit Epsilon, over and out", the Ranger said.

The Ranger returned his radio back in his pocket and waved at the men with him. The men, in turn, hefted their rifles and cautiously went closer to the door of the house. With the foreknowledge of the building's internal layout thanks to the thermal binoculars earlier, the Rangers now know of what approach to use.

The Rangers all braced themselves against the walls, put on their specialized goggles, and one of the Rangers closer to the door drew out a flash bang grenade. The Missile Defenders that are part of the group slung their SMAWs on their backs and switched to their FN P90 SMGs and took position outside the house acting as lookouts while the two Pathfinders took vantage point on some of the wrecked structures facing the building and trained their MSG90 sniper rifles at the building's windows intending to take out any GLA troops that suddenly pops out there.

After seeing that everything is all prepared up, the Ranger holding the flash bang grenade nodded at the other Ranger also beside the door. The other Ranger complied and he kicked the door open. The Ranger holding the grenade then tossed it in. As the grenade set off, the sound of groans was heard and that was the cue that everyone was waiting for before they charged in.

"BREACHING! BREACHING!", one of the Rangers said.

All six of the Rangers then stormed the building in a quick and timely fashion. When they got inside, they saw several of the GLA troops still reeling from the concussive blast that the flash bang grenade produced while the hostages are also reeling as well. As if in some sort of natural instincts, the Rangers instantly gunned down any rebels that they saw who then fell like flies. Once the rebels were dead, four of the Rangers then went towards the group of hostages. There are eight of the hostages four of which appears to be scientists of sorts if their dirtied lab with blood stains coats are any indication while the other three are all wearing technician outfits and one of them is the same one that the GLA troops dragged earlier and the last one is wearing some sort of a suit making him look like a diplomat or a lawyer of sorts. However, two of the scientists and the same technician earlier appeared to have incurred some injuries if the blood stains on their clothes are any indication. One of the apparently injured scientists appears to have suffered more injuries than his other companion given that his wounds appear worse than the other and is also bleeding badly.

"We need medical attention here! Patch up the wounded!", one of the Rangers yelled.

Two of the Rangers complied and drew out their first aid kits and began to administer some temporary medical attention on the wounded hostages especially on the more gravely injured scientist. The others who aren't injured in the slightest also helped after they were untied but signs of bruises can be seen on their faces. The leader of the US soldiers went towards the former hostage wearing a suit who is now dusting of all the soot and dust that got caught on his clothes and asked.

"Is this all of you here?", the lead Ranger asked.

"Uhm… yes", the man said as he finished dusting himself off.

"Understood, we're now pulling your asses off here. Save any talks or questions for later", the lead Ranger said.

The lead Ranger then turned his attention on his radio which he pulled out of his pocket again and established a communication link.

"[COMMS] This is unit Epsilon. We have rescued the hostages and we need medical and fire support here. Some of the hostages are injured. I repeat. We have secured the hostages", the lead Ranger said.

"[COMMS] Understood. The back-up that'll be arriving at your location is granted. ETA thirty five minutes from your current location", the female voice on the radio said.

"[COMMS] Roger that. Over and out", the lead Ranger said before returning his radio back to where he grabbed it earlier.

* * *

**Meanwhile, back at the city plaza…**

**0535 Hours…**

The GLA forces that were stationed in the plaza began to mobilize after being informed of the initial skirmishes all over Al-Anbar. The GLA troops that are supposed to man the now-modified two Overlord Tanks began to make their way for the tanks' hatches. However, they were not able to do so as one of the GLA troops that are about to board was simply shot dead right in the head causing him to fall off the tank. The other GLA troops were startled and immediately ducked behind the tanks to act as cover. However, two more GLA troops were shot: one was hit in the chest while the other was hit straight in the jaw. The GLA troops that were successful in hiding began to shout insults in Arabic before firing blindly at the locations where they think the enemy might be hiding.

Meanwhile, the GLA vehicles began to move but one of the Scorpion tanks was suddenly shot out of nowhere and exploded. The culprit later turned out to be a Crusader Tank after knocking down a wall and it was followed by four more Crusader tanks. A group of three Paladin tanks followed suit in another wall just a few meters away from the Crusader Tanks.

It didn't take for anyone to guess what does going to happen next: a slugfest of anti-armor shells and armor-piercing rockets. American and GLA combat vehicles exchanged fire and lots of tank shells and rockets are flying everywhere. Due to the low quality of the armor that the GLA vehicles have, they were easy targets for the American tanks. Both the Crusader and Paladin tanks found no trouble in reducing the GLA's combat vehicles to nothing but scrap metal with their superior tank shells especially the Paladin tanks' jet-assisted tank shells. The Technicals are all instantly destroyed the moment they were hit by a tank shell while the Scorpion tank and Quad Cannon each took two rounds to take out. The Battle Bus, on the other hand, was a closer call due to its armor but it eventually went down after several tank shells put nice holes on it. The GLA-captured Overlord tanks would have been a trouble but, thanks to the Pathfinders, they were rendered useless to the GLA.

The slugfest didn't last long at all. The GLA combat vehicles were able to fire their fair share of ordnance at the opposing American combat vehicles but the rockets were instantly shot down by the Point Defense Laser pods of the Paladin tanks. Consequently, only tank shells were able to get through but these weren't enough to deal any noticeable damage on the American tanks as they were all armored with advanced composite armor plating which enhances their survivability rate. As the composite armor is meant to take on large tank shells like 105mm rounds and, considering the GLA's poor quality of their weapons, made the American tanks practically invulnerable in theory.

As wreckage of what used to be the GLA vehicles continue to smoke from the fire that ate them up, a trio of Humvees sped fast from the left flank of the Crusader tanks and opened fire on the remaining GLA troops that survived the slug fest. It was a one-sided battle as the Humvees simply nailed the surviving GLA troops with their heavy machine guns while the GLA troops are still disoriented.

In a vain last-charge attempt, the GLA troops that are supposed to man the Overlord tanks abandoned their hiding spots and charged at the American vehicles with heavy explosives on hand. However, this made them easy targets for both the Pathfinders who are hiding on the second floor of an abandoned building and the Humvees who simply nailed them down with hot lead.

* * *

**Meanwhile, back at the Humvee…**

**0550 Hours…**

The inside of the Humvee is currently brimming with lots of noise beeps and flickering lights on the monitors of the communications and radar suite with each second that pass by. As if matching the atmosphere inside the confines of the combat vehicle, the occupants are very busy in responding to the events that are currently happening in a fast-paced manner.

"Lieutenant, the enemy forces in the plaza have been eliminated and the stolen hardware along with the cargo and its personnel have been recovered as well", the communications officer replied.

"Good, anything out of the ordinary?", the lieutenant asked.

"There's a concentration of GLA forces at the southeastern part of Al-Anbar. Based on their trajectory, they are heading towards Najaf. They are retreating. Lieutenant, any orders?", the communications officer said.

"Negative. Our main mission's to retrieve a lot of hardware and cargo. Were heading back to base", the lieutenant said.

"Understood. When will we leave, Lieutenant?", the communications officer asked.

"We're leaving at 0800 hours", the lieutenant said, "I want all men to recuperate after this op. Relay a "mission complete" message to all our forces."

"Roger that", the communications officer said.

The lieutenant then switched his attention on the Ranger manning the wheel and relayed an order.

"Move us to the central plaza, we're relocating there for the meantime", the lieutenant said as the driver nodded before he revert his attention back on the communications officer.

"Relay to all our forces to regroup at the central plaza. I want all of them there", the lieutenant said.

"Understood", the communications officer said as he pressed several keys on the keyboard.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the central plaza…**

**0630 Hours…**

After at least two hours, the intercept and retrieval operation was a success. A huge amount of war materiel was recovered along with the cargo and its associated personnel which was an additional objective in the operation. Considering that there are no longer GLA forces anywhere in Al-Anbar which was confirmed by the few Spy drones flown to scour the entire area as well as the returning unit Theta who claimed that they have seen the last of the GLA forces leave Al-Anbar, the US military force was able to rest freely at least for now.

The once GLA-held plaza is now littered by temporary sheds deployed by the US soldiers to act as a place where they can recuperate and US-controlled vehicles are parked all over the area. The buildings around the plaza are better choices but the US soldiers decided against it due to fears that the buildings were booby trapped by the GLA and they simply don't want to spend effort and time to disarm said traps as they'll be leaving in the next hour or so anyways. Not all of the US soldiers are resting as a good number of them are checking the weapons that they recovered to ensure that said weapons aren't compromised and booby trapped while others tend those who were wounded. Luckily, they suffered no deaths on their side. In total, they recovered twelve supply trucks containing weapons ranging from assault rifles and anti-tank launchers to chainguns not to mention the four Overlord tanks and the Nuke Cannon that the GLA both likely stole from the People's Liberation Army at an unknown time.

In spite of all of this and the success of the operation, it is rather depressing to think that the GLA is capable of getting its hands on very advanced and sophisticated weapons platforms that are supposed to be used against them. What's next on the list? Superweapons? Considering that the GLA have already seized the Baikonur Cosmodrome according to Intel reports, this seems to have some salt to happen. But no matter the case, it is still a consolation that they recovered their equipment. All good things come in small packages after all.

As the Rangers are busy sorting out the recovered weapons for anything especially booby traps, the lieutenant is overseeing the entire event as it happened. The lieutenant let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose as the Rangers carried the crates containing the weapons out and back into the trucks after said weapons were checked for any possible defects and traps.

A few minutes later, a Ranger went towards the lieutenant and saluted before speaking.

"Lieutenant, the scan on the target vehicle is complete. No traps were detected", the Ranger said.

The lieutenant turned around before replying to the soldier before him.

"I see. Lead me to it. I want to see it for myself", the lieutenant said.

The Ranger nodded and turned his back before he walked with the lieutenant in tow. The two walked for some distance until they found themselves staring at a very large truck of sorts with some Rangers around it currently doing some patching up to the truck itself and one of the Rangers is buys pouring fuel into the truck's fuel tanks. One of the Rangers saw the two and immediately went towards the pair to greet them.

"Lieutenant, you gotta see what's inside!", the Ranger said, "It's… It's… unbelievable!"

"Calm down private", the lieutenant replied before he continued at the truck.

The lieutenant inspected the truck the moment he got in close contact. There are signs of explosives and other ordnance used to blast the shielding of the trailer just to forcefully open it. If the strong smell of soot is any indication, the lieutenant will guess that the GLA have used lots of ordnance including napalm just to destroy the outer shell and see what's inside. And just looking at the now-dried serrated edges of the hull, they probably used some sort of blow torch just to cut it open when they thought that the hull has been weakened to the point where it could be cut open by such tools.

After some moments of observation, the lieutenant hopped on and entered the inside of the trailer. When he looked at what the trailer contained which contained what seems to be six blocks in a sealed mode or something, his eyes widened by what he saw. However, he immediately calmed down and collected his thoughts.

"So this is how it is huh?", the lieutenant muttered, "I should have anticipated something like this when the CIA was brought up."

The other Ranger with him also went wide eyed by what he saw as well. He was momentarily awestruck before he spoke to the lieutenant.

"Sir, this is…", the Ranger said but was cut off by the lieutenant himself.

"No doubt about it", the lieutenant said, "Honestly, the CIA's still the pro when it comes to making… very interesting surprises like this."

"So what are we going to do now?", the Ranger said, "We have just discovered a likely top-secret classified material. The CIA might grill us for this."

"Let's just hope that they don't", the lieutenant said after sighing, "Anyways, we still have those guys that we rescued. We might at least get an idea of what is going on here from them. Oh yeah, how's this truck doing?"

"The truck's still in running condition", the Ranger said, "But we need to patch up the hole that the GLA tore up on the trailer."

"I see. Very well then, repair the damages on the trailer. We're moving out as soon as this one is patched up", the lieutenant ordered.

The lieutenant then left the truck and walked away from the area as the Rangers continued to patch up the truck and the trailer containing the valuable cargo. He is walking back towards his Humvee-based command vehicle but another Ranger came up to him.

"Sir, we have found several contrabands alongside the recovered hardware", the Ranger said, "We're asking orders on what to do with it."

"Contrabands?", the lieutenant asked, "Are these some sort of smuggled goods or something?"

"Uhm… quite the case sir", the Ranger said.

The lieutenant perked on the Ranger's reply before speaking.

"Alright, lead me to it. I want to see what these contrabands are", the lieutenant ordered.

The Ranger complied and led the lieutenant to where the contrabands are located. When they reached the area, they saw several Rangers currently inspecting the contrabands which are all laid out on a large sheet of cloth on the ground. The lieutenant instantly recognized that one of the contrabands is ivory tusks but he cannot make out what the leaves and some plant cuttings are next to it. Only the tusks and the unknown plants are the contrabands lying on the ground.

"_Coca leaves?_", the lieutenant thought to himself as he gazed at the unknown plant material before him, "_No wait, something's not right with it._"

"Oh glad that you're here lieutenant", one of the Rangers inspecting the contrabands said upon noticing the lieutenant who just arrived, "Here's what the contrabands are. What are we going to do with this lieutenant? Shall we take these with us?"

"Of course", the lieutenant replied, "These belong to the GLA so we are to take all of it. Just let Command decide on what to do with these things."

"Understood", the Ranger said.

"Now that's settled, pack everything up. We're going to pass Nineveh and us, the 82rd Platoon, will link up with the rest of the 18th Battalion in Dohuk. I want us there before the sun sets in. Understand?"

"Sir, yes sir", the Ranger replied.

"Good. Now do your tasks", the lieutenant said before walking away but not after the Ranger saluted to him.

* * *

**Meanwhile, somewhere in Nineveh…**

**0845 Hours…**

The armored convoy that is the 82nd Platoon of the 18th Battalion is now trudging the barren roads of Nineveh after leaving Al-Anbar in order to get to Dohuk. From anyone's perspective, the armored convoy looked more like of a caravan due to the trucks outnumbering the combat vehicles and the two only things that make it an armored convoy at a glance are the Overlord tanks and the Comanche attack helicopters which are part of the convoy.

The sun has finally set up shimmering light on anything on the ground which casted shadows in the process and the armored convoy is no exception as the vehicles in it all casted large shadows especially the ballast tractor carrying the mysterious cargo. Large clouds of dust trail at the back of the armored convoy as the combat vehicles trudge through the desert. The armored convoy continued to trudge through the desert without delay although everyone is in a combat-ready mode just in case the GLA showed up which seems to be quite impossible given that the only thing that they can see is the barren desert around them except for some cactuses lying around.

The five Crusader tanks took lead of the convoy followed by the three Paladin tanks and the two Humvees while the trucks are following them behind with the ballast tractor pulling the trailer carrying 'Black Testarossa' in the middle of the line. The rear end is composed of the remaining Humvees and the recovered Overlord tanks and Nuke Cannon. Despite the amount of military hardware and combat vehicles that they recovered, the US armored convoy is facing one dilemma at this point: Skeletal crew. Considering that vehicles need a driver in order to move properly, some of the US soldiers were obliged to drive the recovered Chinese war machines to take them back to friendly territory. The problem of this concern is that there's a reduction of troops that can be deployed on foot as the soldiers meant for that role we're forced to drive the acquired vehicles and this problem becomes a real problem in the event the GLA attacked now.

Inside one of the Humvees, the lieutenant is lazily resting as the vehicle he is in continued to trudge the desert. Ever since they left Al-Anbar, they haven't encountered any GLA force along the way. It kinda felt peaceful as the enemy seem nowhere in sight. However, his moment of a peaceful rest was interrupted by one of his men calling him.

"Sir, we've detected a US army unit ahead and a Ranger likely from that unit is waving at us", the Ranger said, "Any orders?"

"Send in some of our men and make contact with them", the lieutenant said, "Try to find out who they are and what they're doing here."

"Roger that", the Ranger said.

In the next minutes, four Rangers from the armored convoy showed up and walked towards the Ranger waving at the convoy all the while exchanging hand gestures and yells as the former closed the distance. The moment the four Rangers made contact with the lone Ranger that waved at them. The two sides appeared to have some talk. After several minutes, the lieutenant got a transmission from the four Rangers that he sent.

"[COMMS] Lieutenant, these guys are on our side. They're part of the 249th Engineer Battalion and they're also enroute to Dohuk. They said that they are currently patching up their vehicles before they move again. They're also requesting to tag along with our convoy."

"[COMMS] Permission granted. Tell them that they can come along us on the way", the lieutenant replied.

"[COMMS] Copy that", the Ranger on the other line said.

The call terminated after it and the four Rangers hurried back to their vehicles. As soon as the Rangers boarded their vehicles, the armored convoy continued on its way bolstered with additional numbers from the Engineering unit that tagged along them all the while kicking up more dust as they picked up speed.

* * *

**Meanwhile, 200 miles from the Nineveh-Dohuk regional border…**

**0920 Hours…**

The armored convoy is still on the move and they are already nearing the regional border separating Nineveh and Dohuk. Just like the past hour, the only thing that can be seen around is the empty barren desert. Frankly, there used to be a large US military base located in Nineveh but the current situation had forced Command to pull back thus the base itself was removed. If said base is still here, they can at least resupply at this point by now. Either way, they can still resupply at Dohuk which is much safer at it is just situated south of US-allied Turkey. Currently, the entirety of the Dohuk Governate acts as a buffer zone between Turkey and the rest of Iraq which is now firmly under GLA control. However, it still isn't a safe zone as far as the US is concerned. At the same time, Syria is already showing signs of political instability likely instigated by the GLA and US military analysts have made predictions that Syria might end up falling into GLA hands if the terrorist organization is left unattended in the area. Furthermore, the Al-Malikiyah district of the Al-Hasakah Governorate is currently brimming with heavy GLA activity. US military satellites in orbit have detected a large presence of GLA armor divisions in said area and it is highly probable that the GLA might use the aforementioned Syrian Governorate as a springboard to launch a multi-pronged attack on Nineveh Governorate the moment the opportunity presents itself.

Inside one of the humvees, a ranger is sitting on his seat while facing on the humvee's remote-controlled weapon station busy monitoring the on-board radar on the look-out for any GLA forces that are attempting to start an ambush. His finger is also ready to click the trigger on a joystick which is the controller for the remote-controlled weapon system linked to the M2 machine gun on top of the humvee. Currently, the ranger could not see any hostiles on the camera screen of the remote-control station as well as no hostile readings on radar. The entire scene is just a barren sea of sand everywhere.

"Private, any readings?", the lieutenant asked the one currently at the remote weapon station panel.

"Nothing to hit with a jack lieutenant", the ranger said.

"Good, this will be a peaceful trip in this shitty desert", the lieutenant said.

"Yeah, we also got four Overlord tanks in tow", the gunner replied happily, "And those motherfuckers are kind enough to attach them with frontline rams."

"You got that Corporal", the lieutenant replied, "I wonder if I'll get a promotion for this. I just hope that the CIA will not show up and mess my day."

"That's right; those guys always ruin the fun. By the way lieutenant, what happened to the guys we rescued?", another ranger asked.

"Well, they're injured at the moment and the medics are currently treating them. Anyways, it's best to leave them alone for the time being", the lieutenant replied.

Just as the lieutenant is about to recline on his chair after finishing his conversation with the Humvee's gunner and the other Ranger onboard, a sudden transmission put him on alert.

The lieutenant immediately picked up the communicator and heard the person on the other line spoke first.

"This is Hunter-Killer 4-1, I am currently detecting a strange disturbance on my radar", the person in a muffled voice spoke, "It looks some sort of energy buildup right in the sky above us and it keeps on getting bigger by the second, over."

"Is that a particle beam?", the lieutenant asked.

"Negative", Hunter-Killer 4-1 replied, "It's bigger than the particle beam fired by our Particle Uplink Cannon. It's also green instead of blue, over."

"What can that thing-", the lieutenant was not able to finish what he was about to say as a massive shockwave-like force suddenly dove head straight to the convoy.

"F-Fuck", the lieutenant said as he got knocked out by the shockwave along with the others.

The area that the large US Army convoy suddenly became empty in a second… and no one will know what became of them.

_-TURN 13 END-_

* * *

**PS: Very Very long Turn isn't it? Well expect the next Turn to be long (perhaps even longer) as well. Oh yeah, try to guess what is 'Black Testarossa' that the armored convoy recovered. It can be pretty much anything except that it can fit in a large trailer cargo box and there's six of it. Another clue: Anyone that gets their hands on this thing can act like Chuck Norris and fuck his way out of anything the nobles of ZnT has to offer (Note: This is a pun I created in line with the "Chuck Norris Facts" quite popular in the Net). Either way, 'Black Testarossa' will be a mystery weapon for the time being.**

**Oh yeah, the weapons that the armored convoy have retrieved will be outlined in the next chapter along the vehicles and other equipment that they have.**

**Stay tuned to see how they'll act after being dumped in the ZnTverse (There's a twist waiting for them).**

**Now, to do my two other fics for the time being.**


	15. Turn 14: Where are we?

**Author's Notes: Well, I'm back after almost two months. Now to answer some reviews...**

**Spartan016: Yep, I know that. Frankly, this thing is very FAST.**

**DivineHeirarch: To be honest, I'm planning that the future Albion military will be a bit smaller than Reconquista's Imperial forces. Part of my reason is to prevent an outright curbstomp situation where they can simply mop down any enemy that they might come across without any trouble or effort. Simply put, the Republican forces will have better weapons and other gear (like vehicles, aircraft, ships, and artillery) compared to Reconquista but their numbers aren't as plentiful as the imperial faction. Consequently, the Albion Republican Forces will experience the same thing that the British did during the American Revolutionary War where they encountered difficulties in keeping the ground that they took from the then-rebelling Americans if they attempted to "occupy" lands outside Albion although it won't be as severe to the point where Albion might be forced to pardon criminals for military service just like the British back then. If they have manpower levels comparable to Germania and Gallia, this won't be a problem. Speaking of those two ZnT superpowers, they still have a chance of beating the Republican Forces by virtue of sheer numbers (therefore, a battle of attrition) provided that they aren't bombarded back to the stone ages, turned to nothing but rotting blobs on the ground by Anthrax, cooked by microwaves, or deep-fried by lasers first. Furthermore, the need to resupply the garrison force (we're talking about logistics here) stationed in said "occupied" territories will be an issue although having a secure route to the occupied area cuts the worries in more than half. This isn't a spoiler but bombing the enemy's production and population centers are much more efficient than occupying said areas (since you only need a pack consisting of bomber airplanes, the crew, and the bombs which is cheaper compared to what you need to use to just occupy an area). Bomb loads like Fuel Air Bombs and, for a very very very nasty package, Anthrax-filled bombs are very deadly and are worth the risk of being shot down for the bomber crews given its high cost to kill ratio especially in a setting like ZnT which doesn't have things like Anti-Air guns, missiles, interceptor aircraft, anti-toxin agents, and the like.**

**Guest: Fouquet's role has been planned on the same time that I made this fic. Moreover, the role that she'll be playing will be befitting of her expertise.**

**Anir: Well, that may be fine but I just simply use it for some style.**

**Sigma-del-Prisium: Thanks for that discussion that we have. Still, feel free to leave an answer to my last post there at your own leisure.**

**Also, additional rules on this fic when it comes to combat:  
1) **Anything that happens to be inside the blast radius of an exploding Nuke Cannon shell is GUARANTEED to be destroyed. No amount of water healing spell abuse will save anyone from this.**  
2) **Tanks, especially the Overlord tank, can simply run over anything smaller including mounted cavalry like they do in-game. However, they CANNOT run over golems that are sufficiently big enough.**  
3) **Strictly NO CnC build time order enforced. This means that NO vehicle and infantry will be produced in a few minutes in the war factory and barracks since we're talking about realism here so gameplay elements are not applicable. However, tech isn't restricted so access to relatively high technology isn't banned which means basic vehicles like jeeps and utility/transport trucks will be available early for the ALC.**  
4) **ANY Neutron-based weapon will reduce anything organic caught within their blast radius into bits.**  
5) **Due to the heat effects of microwave weapons, anything organic caught in its area of effect will be cooked into a deep-fry organic chow.**  
6) **ANY small arms, irrespective of caliber and type used, will KILL any person and elf in one cartridge if it went straight towards a vital or any other sensitive human body part. Consequently, headshots and hits at the heart will ALWAYS kill.**  
7) **Tanks the size of the Overlord tank is always considered as total mechanical failures in RL. However, considering that Generals is set in a future AU Earth (with a seemingly more advanced tech than RL), I suspect that the Generals Chinese might have done something to allow these beasts to lumber on the battlefield.

**Also, due to the game-breaking elements that CnC brings in to ZnT, do expect to see things go for an AU scenario. Events that happened in canon might no longer happen here so I apologize if you think that this story eventually turned to an AU story of ZnT. Still, characters will still act as to who they are although events that will happen here on now will slowly change their personalities. On another note, do not expect to see a "unit spam" any time soon as it won't be happening. However, tossing in mini-nukes at the enemy like some party confetti might happen. Also, CnC tech will also be enabled in this story so it will be possible to construct a Command Center (except with no Satellite Uplink), Barracks, and other Generals US buildings but they will be stripped down of their tech-savvy qualities.**

**Also, I have uploaded a new picture of a new vehicle in my DeviantArt Account. To see it, simply use the link in my profile page to access it. You should be able to see it as soon as you opened the webpage.**

**Before I forgot, the focus on the armored convoy is a three-turn event which means that three turns will be devoted to them. The turn before this is the first one and the second one is this turn. The third turn will be the last and will mark the armored convoy's first contact with the ALC. Just like the Turn before this, this is also very long as well at 12k words. If you notice the Turn's title, this will essentially give the armored convoy its first taste experience on what it feels to be in a primitive setting of ZnT.**

**There will also be some character insights for some of my OCs. Hope you can find them.**

**Without anything further to say, here's Turn 14!**

* * *

**========== Turn 14: Where are we? ==========**

_No leader should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no leader should fight a battle simply out of pique. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life. Hence the enlightened leader is heedful, and the good leader full of caution.  
__-Sun Tzu_

**Somewhere in Albion...**

**Inside a Humvee...**

**XXXX Hours**

The armored convoy, now having recovered all of the stolen military hardware, has found themselves on green grassy plains with the horizon stretching farther than what the eyes can see. They were able to see so as the time of the day seems to be around at late noon if the position of the sun in the sky is any indication.

Inside one of the Humvees, the lieutenant slowly regained consciousness after taking one hell of a shockwave from the unknown energy disturbance.

"Ugh... what the fuck happened?", the lieutenant muttered to himself only to see the Humvee driver still knocked out unconscious. He slowly got up by gripping one of the handles on the rails and proceeded to shake the unconscious Ranger up. He shook the ranger back and forth but not as strong to knock him out further. After several minutes, the unconscious Humvee driver woke up though he is experiencing some nausea as he opened his eyes.

"I feel like I was flushed on a toilet lieutenant", the Humvee driver groaned as he jerked his head.

"Quit making some jokes here, corporal", the lieutenant replied, "We need to ensure that nothing in the convoy is compromised."

As soon as the Humvee driver was well off, the lieutenant went for the still knocked-out ranger that was sitting in front of the communications suite of the vehicle to wake him up while the ranger that he just woke up immediately set to work to restart the engine of the Humvee that they were in.

The lieutenant did the same thing with the communications officer and produced the same results. As soon as the communications officer woke up, the lieutenant instructed the newly woken-up ranger to contact the other vehicles which the later duly did. The once silent confines of the Humvee rang with the noises of activity as the sound of the engine roared and the beeping of the communication equipment rebooting up after the shockwave forced it to shut down became much frequent inside the Humvee.

As the two rangers are busy doing their tasks, the lieutenant hurried to the back of the Humvee to wake up the two other rangers that are there. However, unlike the first two others that he shook up to wake them up, these two are already starting to wake up on their own though they seem to be quite dizzy at the moment.

"Alright you two, hustle up your asses", the lieutenant spoke, "I'm glad that both of you are still alive."

As the lieutenant is assisting the two rangers to get back on their feet, the communications officer called out to him.

"Lieutenant, I got word from the Comanche gunship flight with us that they're all okay but the flight lead wants to talk with you."

The lieutenant then shifted his gaze towards the communications officer before replying.

"Alright, patch him up to me", the lieutenant said who went towards the communications officer after helping the two rangers who are now resting on the back seats of the Humvee.

"Okay, I'm here", the lieutenant spoke, "What's the hold-up?"

"Lieutenant, this is a bit weird but something is wrong with the place that we are currently in right now", the Comanche flight lead said.

"Excuse me?", the lieutenant said.

"Just look out at the window and you'll see what I mean", the Comanche flight lead insistently replied.

The lieutenant batted an eye on what the Comanche flight lead said but still peered outside anyways. However, his raised eyebrows were instantly replaced by widened eyes by what he saw: green grassy plains with lush forests right in the horizon. This is very odd indeed. Last time he know, he and his group are in a desert environment and there's no way that there is some place as lush as this in Iraq. That GLA-infested country is one big piece of desert after all.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?", the lieutenant asked.

"Dunno, but I feel that everything here is fucking weird", the Comanche flight lead replied, "Lieutenant, want us to scout ahead the area?"

"Negative, maintain your positions", the lieutenant replied, "What's the status of the entire Comanche flight and the Combat Chinooks with us?"

"No problem, lieutenant", the Comanche flight lead replied, "All of us are good and ready to go for combat. Our g-suits seemed to have protected us from getting knocked out of the shockwave. The Combat Chinooks themselves do not report any damage either. The Engineering unit with us also reports no damage. Their dozers and LVSRs are all fit for duty."

"Copy that", the lieutenant replied, "I want you and the flight to provide air cover while all of the ground vehicles are getting back up at their feet. I don't know what's going on so I need all men here to be prepared before we take any action."

"Understood", the Comanche flight lead replied.

The call terminated after it and, after a few moments, the entire Comanche gunship flight hovered above the area covering each direction of the area that the US Army ground vehicles are in through a box formation. Each direction is defended by a flight of four Comanche gunships each with their 30mm autocannons, missiles, and rocket pods ready to fire on any unknown target or hostile that shows up. The Combat Chinooks that are with the flight just hovered at their place ready to move in to provide both anti-infantry and anti-vehicle fire support though its complement of Rangers, Pathfinders, and Missile Defenders that are inside of them.

* * *

**Meanwhile, outside the Humvee...**

**A few moments later...**

On the ground, some of the Rangers went out of their vehicles to see if there are any damages that their machines might have incurred. A group of three rangers are busy inspecting an Overlord tank for any potential damages that the tank might have suffered in the unexpected event.

"Hey, any damage there?", a Ranger asked another ranger who is currently inspecting the quad Gatling guns mounted on the tank's turret.

"Nothing", the other Ranger replied as he touched the Gatling guns' barrels, "Anything with the armor?"

"Nah, this thing's armor is good as new and the ram is way badass", the first Ranger replied.

A couple of moments later, the third Ranger showed up after coming back from inspecting the threads of the Overlord tank which was quite difficult as the tank itself has two pairs of tank treads making the Overlord larger than most tanks currently known.

"Hey, you alright?", the Ranger inspecting the quad Gatling guns asked.

"Yeah", the third Ranger replied, "The treads are all good except they all smell of GLA shit."

"Very funny, Rogers", the Ranger who inspected the Overlord Tank's armor said, "And I found lots of dildos belonging to them when I busted through a door. Funny thing is some of them are still dripping with semen."

"No kidding?", the Ranger on top of the turret asked a bit unsure.

"I'm willing to bet on it", the first Ranger replied, "First, they got our toys. Then they got all these? How the hell are those fag bugs this good?"

Just as the three are about to talk more, a fourth Ranger came into the scene.

"Hey, you three there", the newly-arrived Ranger said in a stern and solid voice, "Put that thing under wraps. We're likely going to move out real soon."

The three Rangers stood up straight before replying with a salute.

"Sir, yes, Sir", the three Rangers said in unison after which they made last-minute checks on the Overlord tank that they were forced to man after retaking the vehicles from the GLA.

All over the area, other Rangers are busy making checks and other system diagnostics on their vehicles to repair any damages that could be detected immediately so as not to hinder them in any confrontations that they might encounter along the way in this unspecified area. Checks include ensuring that the wheels, transmission, suspension, armaments, electronics, and other components of the vehicles which are all necessary for the vehicles to complete their tasks. So far, everything appears okay. Weapons and ammunitions counts along with various ordnance are also good allowing them to throw up one hell of a fight before they end up going down as well though that is assuming that they are going to encounter an enemy that is simply too great for them to take on.

Footsteps can be heard as Rangers made fast walks in order to double their efforts so that they can finish everything as fast as possible. The faster they finish, the less likely they are to get hit by a sneak attack by hostile forces like the GLA which is quite notorious in this kind of dirty work. After several more minutes, all of the checks on the US Army vehicles are done and the Rangers immediately went back inside their respective vehicles.

* * *

**Meanwhile, back inside the Humvee...**

**XXXX Hours...**

"Lieutenant, all systems restored", the communications officer replied, "But we can't link up with our satellite network."

The lieutenant looked at the communications officer with a confused look on his face before asking.

"What do you mean that you can't link up, sergeant?", the lieutenant asked.

"Uh... I tried connecting to our satellite network but I simply can't as if... the satellite network doesn't even exist at all", the communications officer replied.

The lieutenant reclined back on his seat as he thought deeply. Finding himself and his own contingent of troops in an unknown land much less an area that he didn't even know not to mention that they have brought non-combatant personnel along with them, planning is much more harder. With their link-up to their satellite network disabled..., or more proper to say, gone, simply made their situation much worse. Still, coming up with something, he asked the communications officer one more time.

"Give me a sitrep view of the surrounding area, sergeant", the lieutenant asked which the communications officer duly did.

The communications officer then typed some words into the keyboard and one of the monitor screen of the electronics suite showed a screen which in turn showed circular blue dots on radar indicating all US Army vehicles and blue arrowhead indicating US aerial units as well as lines and contours that represent the geographical features of the area that they were in. The lieutenant carefully observed the sitrep map. Since satellite uplink is unavailable, he is stuck on the radar suite of the Humvee that he is in. Either way, this sitrep view is still enough for now. Scrutinizing the sitrep map, the lieutenant eventually realized that the area is one that he doesn't even know off let alone in any world map. The land topography doesn't even match in any location in the world as far as he knows. Suddenly, he asked one thing.

"What's the status of all our men?", the lieutenant asked.

"They're all ready to go save for the wounded, lieutenant", the communications officer replied.

"Understood", the lieutenant replied, "Deploy in a Spy drone. I want a real-time video footage of the area up ahead."

"Right away sir", the communications officer said.

After a few moments, the Spy drone lifted up in the air and went straight for the forest that is just over the horizon. Flying at its full speed, the Spy drone was already at the edge of the forest in just a span of a couple of minutes. Its high-resolution camera and advanced detection systems complete with very sophisticated audio receptors allowed the lieutenant to see everything in real time as if he was at the same place as the Spy drone.

"This doesn't make any sense", the lieutenant replied as the live footage continued to move on, "I don't think those trees are the same ones that I know. Something... feels different about them."

"What do you mean lieutenant?", the communications officer asked.

"I don't know either. This place... it seems odd", the lieutenant simply replied.

The communications officer paused for a while before replying.

"So, how about if we moved through there now", the communications officer suggested, "We won't know anything until we saw it ourselves."

The lieutenant sighed before he replied.

"We're apparently at a place that we don't know", the lieutenant replied, "Besides, we don't know if there's a faggot waiting in the bush or two who's poised to ambush us when the opportunity comes by. I don't want us to get shot out f nowhere. We have to move in this place carefully."

"Understood, lieutenant", the communications officer replied.

The lieutenant went back to his train of thoughts. Time is ticking as he did so. While it is true that the military convoy under his command packs an overwhelming amount of firepower especially from the Overlord tanks that they recovered, he clearly knows that they won't hold forever if they happened to face an enemy that can last longer through all the firepower that they can throw which is a theoretical possibility as warfare is always an odd one out business or, in other words, anybody's bitch. After several minutes, he stared at the computer screen again which now shows the edge of the forest in great detail. From the live footage, he can clearly see the thickets, trees, and other plants that make up the forest. Also, the entrance of the large forest seem large enough to allow two Crusader tanks side by side or one Overlord tank to conveniently pass at once although there are some fallen large logs beside the path. The same Spy drone that the lieutenant ordered to sortie was still up in the air providing lookout for the entire convoy with its advanced sensors especially if it ever decided to move through the forest.

Coming up with a decision, the lieutenant relayed an order.

"Alright, send in an order to all of the convoy to move out", the lieutenant said, "We're going through that forest over there. I want an Overlord tank take the point lead followed by another Overlord and the rest follows in behind with the trucks take the center line while the last two Overlord tanks are at the rear. Have the Comanche and Combat Chinooks with us provide aerial support as we cross the forest."

"Copy that, lieutenant", the communications officer said, "Sending in the order."

"Should we move now?", the Humvee driver asked.

"Yes, corporal", the lieutenant answered and the Humvee started moving.

In just a few moments, the sounds of engines, caterpillar tracks, wheels, and helicopter blades making their distinct sounds reverberated across the once silent and lonely plains. Just as what the lieutenant ordered, the entire armored convoy went towards the forest's entrance with the Overlord tanks taking both point lead and the back end while the other vehicles followed in behind with the Nuke Cannon and trucks carrying the recovered hardware and the sensitive cargo are in the middle of the line. Of course, the Humvees are positioned next to the supply trucks so they can easily protect them from a flanking attack. The turret rotation speed of the remote-controlled machine guns allows them to do this. As they continue on their path, the long line of the armored convoy encountered a natural obstacle: some medium-sized logs strewn on the ground with several vine-like plants blocking the path as if they were ropes.

Coming up with a solution with the lieutenant's approval, a total of eight Rangers disembarked from their Humvees and they went towards one of the truck. They went inside one of the trucks although two of the Rangers stayed outside and, when the six Rangers came out, they are all holding chainsaws. The now chainsaw-equipped Rangers then went towards the natural obstacle in front of the convoy while the two that didn't went inside the truck were still armed with their military-issue M16A4 assault rifles equipped with the new M320 Grenade Launcher Modules as well as ACOG sights and laser designators. The chainsaw-equipped Rangers first inspected the obstacle looking for any traps but immediately started on chopping down the obstacles once they figured out that the obstacle isn't rigged with any traps while the two still-armed Rangers watched their backs as they chopped the obstacle. Normally, the lieutenant can simply order the Overlord tank to run down the obstacle but he wanted to ensure that there's no trap first. If he lost a single vehicle in this unknown area, he's one step closer to getting fucked up as there's no way to repair a thoroughly damaged vehicle in this place especially at the fact that there's not even a single garage or other facilities that concerns vehicles in sight.

The entire wood-and-vine-chopping ordeal was over after almost half an hour though it wasn't a bother for the Rangers themselves. As soon as they were finished, the Rangers hurriedly went back to the trucks to return the chainsaws and then back to their Humvees. Once the Rangers were finally inside, the armored convoy continued on its course. The entire trip that followed turned out to be uneventful. As they trudged the forest, the only thing that they saw are various kinds of plants like trees, some small-sized animals like squirrels... or at least rodents that seem to appear as such, and even shrubs of sorts that they don't know even though it seems quite familiar. The forest road also has several bumps on it causing some of the vehicles to tumble up whenever their wheels bumped into one but it isn't a big issue as the US Army vehicles all have superior suspension compared to civilian vehicles. After about four hours, the armored convoy managed to reach the other end of the forest but it took another hour in the least for the last vehicle which is an Overlord tank to make it out of the forest along with the other vehicles. The Comanches and Combat Chinooks simply flew above the forest but they limited their speed so they can provide air cover for the ground vehicles.

Outside of the forest is another large clearing except that a river can be seen freely flowing quite a good distance away. Just like before, it is very quiet and eerily silent.

* * *

**Meanwhile, back inside the Humvee...**

**XXXX Hours...**

"Sergeant, anything new on radar?", the lieutenant asked.

"Still nothing, lieutenant", the communications officer replied, "It's fucking weird that we can't link up with our satellite network. Just what the hell is going on?"

"I still got no idea, sergeant", the lieutenant replied, "Anyways, our top priority is to keep our asses intact here. I don't want to see anyone here incapacitated for no good reason."

"Understood, lieutenant", the communications officer replied.

As the communications officer finished talking, the radar suddenly returned a loud beeping sound.

"What's that?!", the lieutenant said with a serious tone.

"Our sensors have detected some sort of an encampment just three kilometer away from our position", the communications officer replied as he stared at the green-colored radar now showing many small red dots just a distance away from the blue dots which represent them.

The sensor arm that rotates around the radar is continuously beeping whenever it touches any of the red dots as it rotated.

"Lieutenant, what are your orders?", the communications officer asked.

The lieutenant placed his hand on his chin thinking carefully on what to do. Unknown contacts have shown up on radar which was automatically deemed as hostiles given that red signatures on radar always indicate enemy units. Normally, these unknown contacts should just have appeared as neutral but the current IFF mode of their radar suite prompted it to consider the unknown contacts as hostiles upon being detected. Considering that he doesn't have much information about these unknown contacts, he asked the communications officer regarding other matters that might be helpful in formulating a plan regarding this new development.

"Do we have any means of communicating with them?", the lieutenant asked.

"None, lieutenant. I can't detect any radio or other communications equipment with them", the communications officer replied.

Now this sounds odd. The lieutenant mused. Normally, most groups that he encountered have a radio or two to which they can communicate with them in certain circumstances such as a ceasefire or a surrender be it the GLA or allied Chinese and other US Army units. By how the contacts appear, these things don't appear to be civilians either and it's even odd that they are in this place. They should be in towns, cities, and other populated areas. Seeing civilians in an oddball place like this for no apparent reason seem to be strange. But the most important question, however, is that are these contacts actually civilians? The GLA is already out of the question as those rebels will rather be hiding in any concealable cover in preparation for a sneak attack rather than stand out in the open.

"Send in the Spy drone over the encampment", the lieutenant said, "I want to see who these contacts are. Also send in a Crusader and eight Rangers to make some physical contact."

"Right away, lieutenant", the communications officer said.

* * *

**Meanwhile, near the unknown contacts' encampment...**

**XXXX Hours...**

Eight Rangers supported by a Crusader tank have advanced ahead of the armored convoy towards the detected encampment where a fire team of four Rangers is situated on the left and right of the Crusader tank accompanying them. Both elements are approaching at a cautious state so as not to startle the contacts with the Rangers leading the way while the Crusader tank is to provide supporting fire if the contacts turned out to be hostile. The Comanches are probably the best in closing in with the contacts but the risks of a surprise attack not to mention the aforementioned startling ruled it out. The encampment is also littered with several shacks that look to be in an advanced state of disrepair. At the same time, the Spy drone that is accompanying them buzzed above the skies over them.

"Hey, are you guys sure this is a good idea?", a Ranger wielding an M249 machine gun asked as he stared at the shacks of the encampment.

"We don't have any choice", a fellow Ranger wielding an M16A4 assault rifle replied, "As far as I know, we're in some place where God only knows."

"Cut the chatter", another Ranger said as he switched the lever of his M16A4 rifle from safety to firing mode, "We're nearing the three hundred fifty meter range. Everyone get ready to click your triggers if those contacts did anything funny."

All of the Rangers hearing him nodded as they cocked their rifles to their firing modes. One of the Rangers waved a hand signal towards the other Ranger fire team just on the other side of the Crusader tank to do the same to which the second Ranger fire team duly did. With all firearms cocked to fire, the lead Ranger of the first fire team started to spoke but stopped momentarily to inspect the contacts. The contacts themselves have their backs exposed to the rangers. Oddly enough, they seem to be wearing some sort of armor or a bust-up of it along with a horny helmet of sorts. It's effing weird as the Ranger that is about to speak thought. The contacts appear to be quite fat even for an obese and very tall. Also, it kind of stinks and the smell is coming from the encampment. However, the Ranger dismissed it. He needs to talk with them anyways though he feels that this will lead to some clusterfuck scenario.

"Excuse me guys, but can you tell us where are we?", the Ranger politely asked through a loudspeaker that the he brought with him.

The contacts slowly turned around. However, when the contacts finally faced the Rangers, the Rangers went for both a jaw drop and wide eye expressions. The contacts weren't human at all. Rather, they seem to resemble the grimy bloody trolls that they see in many fantasy works depicted as savage and blood thirsty monsters. These trolls or whatever they are currently stained in blood with their mouths dripping with it and some of their teeth that are long enough to protrude outside their mouths were also blood stained as well. Beside the trolls, they can see the remains of what appears to be several human corspes but the horrid fact about these corpses are that they are missing body parts of them. These trolls must have eaten them most likely and an extinguished bonfire is in the center of the group of trolls.

The lead Ranger as well as his team and the Crusader tank crew were shocked by what they saw but they immediately snapped back to reality when they noticed that the trolls have their what appeared to be bloodied axes appeared at the ready as if they are about to slice their next victims. The lead Ranger instantly realized what is about to happen so he simply blared one direct order after the trolls let out a monstrous roar.

"_Oh shit!_", the lead Ranger thought before barking a loud order.

"ALL TROOPS! WEAPONS FREE!", the lead Ranger shouted in a loud voice.

As if on cue, the trolls charged at the small US Army recon force intending to butcher the strange-looking humans in front of them and ignoring the unknown mechanical contraption accompanying the humans. However, they appeared to be quite slow given that their run seems to be some sort of jogging making them easy pickings for the Rangers and the Crusader tank not to mention their sizes which already made them easy to hit as well as the fact that they were all charging in a straight line. As the trolls charged at the recon force, they were greeted by a combined hailstorm of 5.56x45mm and .50 BMG cartridges which ripped them to pieces bit by bit. The Crusader tank itself was unable to fire its 120mm rifled cannon due to fear that the HEAT tank shell that it will fire might end up injuring the Rangers accompanying it in the ensuing blast so it has to resort to its co-axial heavy machine gun to provide fire support which appears to be already enough.

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!", the lead Ranger repeatedly screamed as bullets continued to whizzed in the air and the sound of the bullets colliding with troll hides screamed in the background.

It was utter chaos even though the trolls were unable to close the distance with the Rangers who kept firing like crazy while taking steps backwards as doing that is the only means that they know that they won't end up as troll chow.

* * *

**Meanwhile, back inside the Humvee...**

**XXXX Hours...**

The sounds of gunfire and some sort of animalistic growls can be heard from the communications suite of the Humvee. The occupants of the Humvee are all listening keenly to this strange turn of events until the communications officer decided to break the ice.

"[COMMS] Recon team, what is going on there?!", the communications officer asked in a loud voice, "Please respond!"

More gunfire and growls were heard followed by several static noises before somebody on the other line responded.

"[COMMS] THIS IS HELL!", the lead Ranger yelled, "[COMMS] WE'RE CURRENTLY ENGAGING SEVERAL FUCKING TROLLS STRAIGHT OUT OF A FAIRY TALE BOOK!"

"[COMMS] Say that again?", the communications officer asked, "What do you mean by trolls?"

The lead Ranger didn't spoke on the other line, instead a live video feed viewed from the perspective of the recon force was displayed on the monitor and everyone inside the Humvee can only mutter three words.

"What... the... fuck...?"

The lieutenant gazed at the live video footage which current displays a charging bloody troll only for its head to be reduced to a bloody stump after it was hit by a storm of bullets most likely from the recon force as they defended themselves by gunning down the trolls before they can enter in melee distance.

"[COMMS] Fuck this shit!", the lead Ranger shouted as he continued to gun down the trolls with his M16A4 assault rifle, "[COMMS] There's a lot of them. We need to pull back!"

The lieutenant didn't spare a second as he replied immediately. Seeing that a dire, not to mention strange, situation is at hand, a swift and sound decision is what will save them from a bad end.

"[COMMS] Understood, fall back for now. I'm sending in a Comanche flight to cover your retreat", the lieutenant said.

"[COMMS] Copy that, over and out", the lead Ranger replied over the radio.

* * *

**Meanwhile, back at the outside of the encampment...**

**XXXX Hours...**

"RUN! EVERYONE RUN!", the lead Ranger shouted as all the Rangers including him made a mad dash to increase the distance between them and the bloody trolls still chasing them even though almost half of them are already bleeding from the bullets that they fired on the monsters. The Crusader tank with them is providing suppression fire through its M2 heavy machine gun as it also slowly retreated as well.

As the recon force is past six hundred meters away from the encampment, the sound of helicopter rotors were heard and the next thing that happened is that the sound of 30mm chain guns pouring in hot lead on the pursuing trolls made audible noises. The 30mm rounds are very powerful that they kicked up dirt whenever they didn't successfully hit a troll. A successful hit, on the other hand, simply passed through the trolls as if the monsters were simply swiss cheese although some rounds simply ricocheted away.

The area that the trolls were last standing at was smoking from the precise 30mm round barrage that the Comanches have fired. Considering what happened, it's unlikely that the monsters were still alive after that. Troll skin might be tough but it's doubtful that something that's just a beefed up fleshy skin can withstand rounds meant to take on tank-grade armors.

"[COMMS] This is Hunter Killer 3-1, all hostiles confirmed destroyed", the Comanche pilot said over the radio as he and his wingmen ceased firing once the contacts have been killed.

"[COMMS] Copy that, thanks for the air support", the lead Ranger said as he turned around to look at the smoldering pile of corpses in front of him.

The lead Ranger, seeing that the trolls were finally toast, ordered the recon force to stop along with the Crusader tank. The Rangers momentarily took hold of their current positions waiting for any developments. The Crusader tank, with its own infrared and thermal sensor arrays, scanned the area to see if the coast is clear. After some scans, the lead Ranger received a call from the Crusader tank driver.

"[COMMS] Scan finished. No hostiles detected", the Crusader tank driver spoke over the radio.

"[COMMS] Copy that", the lead Ranger replied, "Men, advance. Check out the corpses."

The Rangers nodded as the lead Ranger took the first step forward with the former following the next second. The Crusader tank remained in its place although a whirring sound can be heard implying that it is read to provide suppression fire if the need ever arises. Slow but solid footsteps clasped on the grassy ground as the Rangers advanced with their guns trained towards the direction where the trolls were last seen alive continued their slow but steady and careful advance. They eventually reached the now blood-stained area where the dead trolls are now lying at and the sight of it made a few of the Rangers to get a stomach flip.

"Christ... what the hell is this?", a Ranger said as he stared at the nasty decapitated troll in front of him.

"Fuck it. Am I just high or something?", another Ranger said, "Ah... screw it. Maybe that last marijuana raid on a GLA shit base got me."

"This thing is real", another Ranger interrupted as he slung his M16A4 assault rifle aside, "Crap, are we in some sort of bio weapons testing grounds or something?"

"Cut it out", the lead Ranger finally said, "Secure these remains along with whatever is inside that encampment. We might need to study these things to figure out where the hell are we."

"Right away, sir", the Rangers said.

All of the Rangers comprising the recon force set out to work in piling up the remains while the Crusader tank stood guard as the Rangers did their work.

"This is gross", one of the Rangers said as he grabbed one of the troll corpses by the shoulder with both of his hands with another Ranger doing the same thing on the troll's other shoulder, "Horse piss is less bad than this."

For one moment, the same Ranger saw some sort of scriptures glowing on the troll's arm before fading away. However, the Ranger only saw it momentarily and dismissed it as some sort of imagination.

The Rangers eventually managed to pile the corpses up and the lead Ranger signaled the Crusader tank to move towards the encampment with them in tow this time. As the Rangers are following behind the Crusader tank, one of them asked of something.

"Hey guys, got any ideas of what we're going to find there?", one of the Rangers asked.

"Beats me", a fellow Ranger replied, "Probably some voodoo stuff or something. Heck, we're probably going to see some sacrificial circle or something real soon."

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside the encampment...**

**XXXX Hours...**

The encampment is a total mess. That's the general assumption of anyone that can see it. The foul stench that is emanating inside the encampment is only matched by the disgusting remains of what appears to be humans that have been maimed. Some of the human remains are cut open revealing the insides like the stomach and intestines. To make the issue much more worse, some of the internal organs have already spilled out of their bodies. It's also hard to identify how many human victims are there all in all as they were all cut to pieces in one way or another not to mention that most of them were missing parts of them. Overall, the scene is almost identical to a mad evil genius scientist performing experiments on humans for god knows what except that its perpetrated by trolls not humans and bar the absence of dissecting tools like scalpels. Lots of maggots are already hovering above the corpses making it even more disgusting. There are some shacks that are also stinking real bad and are in a bad condition. It's even doubtful as to how the trolls were able to use it as a shelter.

One of the Rangers knelt down on one knee and inspected an unrecognizable human corpse that was lying on the ground. The skin covering the entire head was gone leaving only the skull which was stained in blood. The eyes and other fleshy parts like the tongue are also gone. There were also some cracks located on top of the head implying that the trolls might have hit the unlucky fella with a hammer of sorts right there. The corpse's entire body is a bloody swiss cheese. It's littered with holes everywhere not to mention that flies and maggots are feasting down there forcing the Rangers to ward them off with their hands which produced annoying buzzing sounds as the Rangers did so.

"Fuck, I wished I brought my gas mask with me here", one of the Rangers said as he covered his nose due to the foul stench.

"Let's wrap this thing up right now", the lead Ranger ordered, "The faster we finished this, the less likely we are to endure this stench."

"Sir, yes sir", the Rangers nodded as they set out to sorting and piling up the corpses and other stuff that they found inside the encampment.

* * *

**Meanwhile, outside the encampment...**

**XXXX Hours...**

The Rangers eventually finished searching the entire encampment. After several hours, they were able to extract many paraphernalia of various shapes and sizes. Describing the task that the Rangers did as looting is a wrong term considering that there's nothing of any significant value was found anywhere. Compared to what they did outside of the encampment, they took the time to scan every part of the encampment for anything out of the ordinary.

Outside of the encampment, they were greeted by the Crusader tank that accompanied them as well as a pair of Humvees and an Ambulance.

As they walked outside of the encampment, the Ambulance's back door shot up open and out came four Rangers with a Red Cross armband on them indicating that they are medics.

"Hey, is everybody all right?", one of the medics asked.

"Yeah. We're just feeling a bit down due to the stench there", one of the Rangers replied, "You guys should check everything that we piled up inside. On yeah, what about the one we did first?"

"A second medic team is currently analyzing it at the moment", another of the medics replied, "By how things look, it's extremely odd."

"Yeah, right. We're probably dealing with mutants here", another Ranger groaned, "Damn, did the GLA developed an even crazier Anthrax shit?"

The Rangers watched as the medics, who have now donned garbs as well as other medical garments to prevent themselves from getting dirty due to the messy remains, went towards the pile of corpses and began examining all of it. Through the use of their portable medical suite which was from the Ambulance, the medics were able to learn various discoveries about the corpses in front of them. Aside from that, one of the medics began dissecting a troll corpse to examine it further with the tools he brought along.

"Any finds?", the lead Ranger asked as he observed the medic currently dissecting a troll corpse.

"God, this is unreal", one of the medics said, "The build of the tissues are at least ten times thicker than a human. Just what is this?"

The lead Ranger noticed the shock face expression on the medic. It didn't take him a second that this is a very serious matter. He radioed back to the armored convoy about this development.

"[COMMS] This is recon team, we might need to stay here. Our meds have uncovered some intriguing discoveries", the lead Ranger said as he waited for a reply.

There's a static noise over the radio before a voice came up.

"[COMMS] Understood", the female voice on the other end of the line said, "[COMMS] Hold your positions there. We're going to secure it as our temporary strong point."

"[COMMS] Copy that", the lead Ranger replied.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the former encampment...**

**XXXX Hours...**

The sun is already beginning to set as the entire armored convoy have occupied the place and set up an encampment of their own where the encampment used to stand several hours ago through the four dozers and the two LVSRs of the engineering unit. Due to the expertise lent by the engineering unit, the strong point is now dotted with several custom-built Quonset huts and some tents which are now serving as temporary barracks for the Rangers. The Quonset huts that were provided do not resemble the ones used during World War II. Rather, this new-generation Quonset huts are blocky in appearance that they almost resemble ISO containers and this made them easier to pack up. The Combat Chinooks have landed after the area was thoroughly cleaned and unloaded its complement of infantry to help with the cleaning work although the Comanches stayed in the air. Due to the foul stench of the shacks and other objects of no value found inside the encampment, the armored convoy has opted to burn all of them.

The medics continued to examine the remains that they have obtained. As their examinations continued, they are beginning to uncover more and more things that are straight out of a fantasy book. The lieutenant, meanwhile, is busy overseeing the situation while the lead Ranger and the other members of the recon force took their time to recuperate after all that they have encountered.

"How far did you got with the autopsy?", the lieutenant asked.

"I'm still cracking the crust, lieutenant", the medic replied as he brushed off the sweat forming on his forehead as he performed an autopsy on a troll corpse, "I'm probably done by now if this thing is a human body."

The lieutenant easily noticed that the medics are busy with their task. He know that these guys always get their hands full whenever they are at work but all of it seems next to nothing right now... considering what they are dealing right now. The stench is still in the air but is no longer that great perhaps because they got used to it in the past hours. Currently, he and the medics along with a few Rangers are inside a temporarily built Quonset hut whose parts were provided by the Engineering unit. It's a good thing that they found those before they got sucked into this strange place though they did have some difficulties making it stand up together as they were forced to attach it piece by piece. The lieutenant's gaze is currently locked on the troll corpse being examined by the medics. He specifically gazed at the lifeless eyes of the trolls with deep scrutiny. Whatever lies beyond the horizon, it is something that must be taken seriously and with caution. That is his only assumption for now.

Thinking of doing something else important and the fact that he won't be of any help in this little postmortem autopsy, the lieutenant went away with his two subordinates after leaving instructions on the medics to dig as much info as they can on the corpses.

* * *

**Meanwhile, inside one of the Quonset huts…**

**XXXX Hours…**

Night has already set in. The inside of the Quonset hut is illuminated by an oil lamp currently on top of a table and several Rangers are sitting in front of said table and it appears that they are discussing something. On the table, there are several pieces of papers lying around and the Rangers current sitting in front of it are having discussions over the papers.

"Gentlemen, these are the map layouts that our Spy drones have relayed", the lieutenant said as he distributed the papers to the other Rangers.

The other Rangers took the papers and inspected it. As moments pass by with them inspecting it, signs of confusion and uncertainty became evident on their faces.

"With all due respect sir, are these sitreps real?", one of the Rangers asked.

"I don't know either. It's what the Spy drones relayed", the lieutenant replied.

"Well, it's just hard to believe these sitreps", the same Ranger said, "Look, I don't recall seeing a map overview like this anywhere in Iraq or any part of the world for god's sake. Hey, is there a chance that we're being jammed by the GLA?"

"Good question", the lieutenant replied, "But as how would I put it, it's kinda impossible. We didn't receive any word from Command that there are GLA jammer emplacements all around the area we are in. Besides, if we're really being jammed, the Spy drones should have returned nothing at all."

Everyone went silent after the lieutenant's reply. Right now, they are all confused about what is going on at this very moment. However, another Ranger decided to break the ice.

"So… lieutenant, what are we going to do now?", the Ranger asked slowly.

The lieutenant made a deep breath first before he replied.

"Our best bet at the moment is to scout the area ahead", the lieutenant replied, "Thankfully, the engineering unit that tagged alongside us are carrying some Sentry drones with them. That way, we can commence a ground and aerial probing all at once. Is that right, 2nd lieutenant Malcolm?"

A Ranger sighed first before he replied.

"Yes, sir", the Ranger now known as 2nd lieutenant Malcolm replied, "The Sentry drones we have are also armed with 20mm autocannons. That way, we should be able to pepper anything out there safely. We also have provisions of parts for the drones if any are damaged or destroyed. By the way, we also got the schematics for the laser defense turret. That should help us in the defense once we managed to get the resources and find a spot as a strongpoint."

"Glad to hear that", the lieutenant replied, "We'll be moving out tomorrow at exactly 1000 hours sharp. I want everyone except those that were injured during the last op to be prepared for combat tomorrow. We never know if we're going to encounter more of those… _things_ later on."

Everyone immediately knew what the lieutenant is talking about and responded accordingly.

"Understood", everyone inside said in unison.

"And by the way", the lieutenant continued, "Since we are in the middle of nowhere which God only knows, it's obvious we are in a tight pinch in here."

Everyone looked seriously at the lieutenant at this point.

"Consequently, we're going to avoid combat as much as we can. Our ammunition and supplies are practically limited and we don't have any means to radio Command for an on-field resupply. However, if combat is inevitable, try to take out the enemy with as few bullets as possible. We need to conserve everything we had. Overall, this leaves us effectively fucked up."

"Well, we have brought along us a real load of foodstuffs and some nice surplus techno gizmos with us", 2nd lieutenant Malcolm countered, "But at best, the foodstuffs that we brought along with us are probably going to last on us for around a month to three and a half months if we all rationed it out nicely."

The lieutenant paused and thought for a moment before he replied.

"What kind of foodstuffs did you have anyway?", the lieutenant asked.

"About that", 2nd lieutenant Malcolm began, "Aside from MREs and FSRs along with our construction tools, the trucks that we are driving also contain things like corn, fruits, cereals, veggies, canned foods, medicines, and other edible stuff along some seedlings for planting which we're supposed to plant on Dohuk for some agricultural program there."

"I see", the lieutenant said, "Well, that takes care of food supply and all for the time being. The only thing left is to find a way out of this weird shit."

As the lieutenant finished speaking, another Ranger spoke.

"Uhm… lieutenant", the Ranger began, "This sounds crazy but is it true that there's a large green light above us before right?"

The lieutenant nodded and replied slowly.

"Y-Yeah…", the lieutenant said.

The Ranger then put his palm on his chin before he thought deeply.

"Anything you want to share with us 2nd lieutenant?", the lieutenant asked.

"This kinda sounds odd but here it is", another Ranger with the rank of 2nd lieutenant said, "Just before we left the base for the retrieval mission… no several weeks before that actually, I'm hearing rumors from other Regiments and even from Armored Battalions as well as Air Divisions about mysterious disappearances of US troops everywhere with no reason at all. Some guys from the Navy are also saying the same thing."

"Hmm… I heard those as well", the lieutenant said, "So what's the deal with it and the weird shit now?"

"If I'm not mistaken, it's likely that we ended up in this kind of situation", the 2nd lieutenant answered.

There was a deep and long silence after the 2nd lieutenant's answer. Still, it didn't take an eternity for another Ranger to voice out his reaction.

"You can't be serious pal!", the Ranger yelled, "This is ridiculous. So what? We slipped down the rabbit hole?"

"But it's likely", another Ranger interrupted, "I also heard the rumors about the personnel that disappeared in the strangest circumstances involving things like green lights. Just take Captain Mark Mitchell and his team's disappearance as an example. Hell, the sight of two moons earlier is already an indication that we drifted into nowhere."

"You do have a point", another Ranger interjected, "As far as I know, Captain Mitchell's team's mission was to locate some GLA anthrax shit and destroy it. Command said that his team finished the mission but they suddenly went silent about where the hell they are right now."

"Hey, did you said Mark Mitchell?", another Ranger joined the conversation.

"What's the deal with him?", the Ranger before him asked.

"Well, I heard that this Mitchell guy is the valedictorian of his batch when he graduated at West Point", the Ranger who asked said, "And the catch is there are rumors going around that he was offered a commission as a Major General after he graduated but he refused it."

"Whoa! That guy is hardcore", the Ranger who opposed the idea that they were dropped into the rabbit hole said, "I also heard news about that guy. Man, that guy graduated at 25 and he now got that kind of commission?"

"Oh yeah, I also heard another rumor that the President even offered him a full General promotion outright due to his records at West Point but refused it", the Ranger before added, "Man, why did he wasted it?"

"Well, it's likely that guy has his own reasons", the lieutenant finally said in a calm voice, "The White House may be using him to boost up the morale of the military."

"Lieutenant, you seem to know this guy. Do you have any connections with him?", 2nd lieutenant Malcolm asked.

"Actually, he's my colleague in the same batch when we graduated", the lieutenant said, "And honestly, his way and level of military planning falls on the unorthodox fashion. Sometimes, his plans do not make sense but does the job in the end."

"Now that makes sense", a Ranger said, "I also heard that he got the nick name 'The Commander' from his early combat career after he graduated at West Point. Man, his military leadership always results in the enemy getting reduced to pieces."

"That's just him being him", the lieutenant added, "He always thinks out of the box and I bet that he has something in mind when he refused that commission and started as a Captain instead."

"Maybe he's just the gung-ho type?", another Ranger suggested.

The lieutenant sighed at the Ranger's comment before he replied.

"Actually, he's far from that", the lieutenant replied, "He might look like the brash and all-boasting soldier that he is outwardly… but on the inside, he's a calculating genius who'll instantly calculate plans in his brain to take you out in the least amount of time as much as possible. Honestly, due to his way of planning, he never lost a single subordinate right after graduating from West Point due to misjudgment although that cost him several opportunities to get a shot of a promotion as he preferred to abort the mission rather than risk his subordinates from being killed."

"But still, what do you guys think happened to him?", 2nd lieutenant Malcolm asked, "Do you think he's dead or something?"

"Not really", the lieutenant replied calmly, "Mitchell's just too much of a crack bastard to die that way. I honestly doubt if there's anybody out there that can kill him. Anyways, let's get back on topic."

"We're still in uncharted area", the lieutenant began, "Our Satellite uplink is currently unavailable so we're going to move blind. We'll need to personally check things up if we want to figure it out provided that we stumble upon something amiss. I want all of you to keep your eyes peeled open. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded at the lieutenant's question and the lieutenant let out a content smile on his face.

"Good", the lieutenant replied before he let out a sigh after which he spoke again.

"Men, as far as we know it, there's a lot of chance that we might have been drifted into god knows where if the two moons that we saw an hour ago is any indication. We don't have any idea about the terrain around us let alone any landmarks. No communication links can be established to Command HQ either which leaves us all on our own. Due to our current predicament, I am authorizing the use of whatever weapons and other assets this armored convoy possess at this moment. Once we get back to base, if it's even possible, I'll take full responsibility for any charges that may be thrown our way. The only thing that I would like from all of you here is to fight any enemy that we might encounter inevitably to your fullest. No holds barred. Survival is the only objective that we have. Is that understood?", the lieutenant said.

"Uh… does that include using the Anthrax that we seized?", a Ranger asked.

"That needs to be clarified first especially by the scientists that we rescued. GLA stuff is quite substandard in my opinion so we need to check if it's pretty good to use in combat first. I don't want seeing anyone of you being blown with an explosive or two right into your faces. Any more questions?", the lieutenant replied.

All Rangers inside the Quonset hut simply shook their heads.

"Well then, let's call this a day", the lieutenant said, "Everyone get some rest. We're going to do a lot of field work tomorrow."

The Rangers inside the Quonset huts stood up and began to leave after saluting to the lieutenant who now dismissed the meeting.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the outside of another Quonset hut inside the encampment…**

**XXXX Hours…**

Beside a burning bonfire, a Ranger is sitting on a folding chair beside a table which has an umbrella-like roof supported by the rod attached on the center of the table. The Ranger in question is busy cleaning up his M4A1 carbine with several magazines of the carbine lying on the table along with a cleaning kit and some accessories like an Aimpoint CompM2 red-dot reflex sight, an M203 grenade launcher, and a laser designator. A currently unloaded P226 handgun with several magazines of it is also on top of the table as well as his MICH helmet. Aside from cleaning, the Ranger is cocking it a couple of times to see if the mechanisms of his gun is functioning at optimum capacity without a magazine in place. The gun made audible and solid noises as it cocked every time the Ranger pulled the trigger.

Just as the Ranger is busy cleaning his weapon, another Ranger suddenly came up with an M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle slung on his back as he carried two large toolbox-like objects one in each hand by the boxes' handles.

"Hey, you okay there?", the Ranger carrying the toolbox-like objects asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright here", the Ranger cleaning his rifle replied, "Where you're going anyway and what's with the boxes?"

"Oh… this", the Ranger carrying the boxes said as he looked at the two boxes that he is carrying, "These boxes contain some medical tools. The medics got all frenzied on dissecting the trolls we knocked down earlier."

"I see. Wait, what about the guys we rescued?", the Ranger with the carbine asked.

"Their conditions are already stable as in the case of the ones we found wounded. As for the others, they are currently receiving some minor medical attentions for things like bruises, cuts, and such. Anyways, all of them are safe. They're just resting."

"I see", the Ranger said, "Any news on what we're going to do?"

"Dunno", the other Ranger said, "We're going to find it tomorrow anyway. Oh yeah, gotta go. I still need to deliver these to those guys."

"Yeah, take care out there", the Ranger replied as he watched the other Ranger went his way.

As soon as the Ranger carrying the medical equipment left the area and out of the first Ranger's sight, the former resumed on cleaning his carbine. As he is checking the cartridge ejector of his rifle, the Ranger mused on the things that happened today. First, they were taking on GLA troops right in the middle of GLA-held territory. Now, they are in a place that god knows only where. If the trolls that they fought earlier are any indication, the Ranger simply thought for a couple of moments before dismissing the issue. After cleaning the rifle, the Ranger then aimed it in a mock firing position without a magazine fed into the rifle and clicked the trigger. The gun let out a click noise as he clicked the trigger. Whatever happens tomorrow, it's another day full of weird surprises. If a crazy survivalist happened to be in the Ranger's place, the Ranger can easily tell that said survivalist will be very batshit crazy about this situation all the while blabbing all sorts and types of shit and other insults that he can think of.

"I wonder if I'm going to see a sexy elf or two tomorrow", the Ranger said as he ended up laughing at the thought of it.

The Ranger dismissed that thought with a shake of his head to get his focus on the task at hand. After that, he slapped a 30-round magazine clip of 5.56x45mm cartridges right into his M4 carbine and a click sound was heard locking the magazine in place. Once the magazine is in place, the Ranger attached the other accessories for his carbine one by one and placed his P226 handgun back in his holster after loading a magazine to it. Once his weapons are fully geared on him, the Ranger packed up his cleaning kit for later use and put his MICH helmet back on his head.

* * *

**Meanwhile, temporary encampment…**

**XXXX Hours…**

It was a dusky day two in nowhere land for the entire armored convoy. Bonfires were already doused with just a trail of thick grey smoke coming out of them as men hurried to and fro to do their business for the day. Members of the 249th Engineering unit are busy packing up the Quonset huts that they set up just yesterday for later use and are being assisted by the rest of the armored convoy to speed up the process.

On one side of the encampment, several Rangers are busy doing an inventory check of all the hardware that they recovered inside the trucks.

"Hey, check this out", a Ranger said as he inspected a gun amongst the military hardware found inside one of the trucks, "An Israeli Galil. 5.56mm caliber rifle, has 500 meters of range, 65-shot magazine, and gas operated."

"A Galil?", another Ranger said, "Aren't the hardware that we are supposed to recover only ours?"

"Those GLA fuckers are clever thieves", a third Ranger replied, "They likely got that from the Israeli Defense Forces. Makes those fuckers the best thieves around. Heck, there's even a G36 assault rifle and an MG4 likely stolen from the German Army as well."

"Hey, don't tell me they're already in Germany?", the first Ranger asked.

"They already sacked our European HQ so they're there already", the third Ranger replied with some disgust over what he just said, "Man, I wish I could go there and drink some fine Munich beer after kicking their asses."

"What about German franks?", the second Ranger added which triggered a chorus of laughs.

"Duh… I'm going to go for American hotdogs. I'm a patriot, pal", another Ranger said as he entered the conversation, "Anyways, what's more in store there?"

"Hmm… let's see", the first Ranger said as he opened some boxes, "Whoa! There's an XM25 CDTE over here!"

"An XM25 CDTE?", the second Ranger said, "Isn't that an airburst grenade launcher?"

"Yep", the fourth Ranger replied, "Capable of firing four 25mm airburst grenades before needing to reload and has a sophisticated digital targeting system. Even noobs can hit jack with it and make some jack soup. They just need to ensure that the fucker that they're targeting is in the crosshairs."

"Cool", the second Ranger said, "Grenade spam!"

"Wrong", the fourth Ranger interrupted, "You can't make a spam if there's only four of it. Let's say you need… five of it."

"Funny joke", the second Ranger replied with a laugh, "Though the fucking heavy 12-grenade shot Hawk MM-1 that we also have is still the best for a spam."

"Heavy?", the first Ranger asked, "The heaviest that we recovered is the 30mm GAU-8 Avenger. I know that the GLA is good at stealing but just where the hell did they find it?"

"Oh great, we're fucking screwed!", the third Ranger added, "What's next? Strategic WMDs? This is shit!"

"Quiet down", the second Ranger said, "Most of the equipment that they stole were surplus anyways so it will be very easy for them to get their hands on those. Before we end up chatting more and some CO comes here, let's wrap this up. There's not a single box that was compromised."

With that, the Rangers busy in inspecting the boxes loaded with weapons began to sort things up. After they are done, the Rangers closed the hatch of the trucks and they went for the driver's cabin to commandeer the trucks. Due to reasons concerning the manpower issues that the armored convoy is having, the trucks that were carrying the weapons are being driven by one Ranger each.

In a span of half an hour, the sound of engines can be heard roaring in the early morning coupled with the humming of the helicopter blades above the skies and the tank threads crunching on the ground. By the end of another thirty minutes, the entire armored convoy is now on the move again. As usual, the Comanches are taking point lead above the skies and being supported by the Combat Chinooks while the Crusader tanks are on the ground. A Spy drone was also sent ahead of the convoy to scout out the area ahead. Due to its small size, it is highly unlikely to get spotted and subsequently shot down by hostile anti-air units. However, it's doubtful if there are even any hostile AA defenses around if the trolls just yesterday were any indication. In terms of tech, the weapons and armor found on the trolls gives off a medieval-era feel so it's even doubtful to see things like machine guns later on except theirs. Speaking of medieval-era tech, add a dash of some crazy fuck of fantasy land here since trolls only exist in such tales. Therefore, things like dragons and other crazy stuff might pop out of nowhere. However, things like dragons can be easily deep-fried by the Avengers or peppered out of the sky by high-powered caliber bullets. Things like ogres, trolls, and orcs can be simply blasted by 120mm cannons and explosives.

Like yesterday, the armored convoy is moving in the same formation as usual: the trucks in the middle of the formation and surrounded by all combat-able vehicles all the while supported by aerial units above the skies. Overall, it somewhat resembles a box-in formation which gives it no weaknesses to exploit but no strengths to take advantage of. Still, it's the best formation to use at this moment especially at the fact that the armored convoy itself is carrying a very important cargo.

* * *

**Meanwhile, somewhere in 'nowhere land'…**

**XXXX Hours…**

The Spy drone that the armored convoy deployed ahead of it is buzzing over the area just a few kilometers ahead of the convoy. As it pass overhead the quiet and spacious ground below, its sensors and camera are transmitting live video feed back to the armored convoy.

Inside the command Humvee of the armored convoy, the lieutenant along with his subordinates are keeping a keen eye on the video feed save for the Humvee driver whose attention is tied on the wheel.

"Damn, still nothing but green grass", the communications officer muttered, "For the love of God, I wish we can spot a medieval-fantasy town or two by now."

"Quit squirming around", another Ranger inside the Humvee said, "Another group of fuckass trolls might pop out of nowhere and start to attack us. My fingers are itching to turn them to swiss cheese."

The Ranger in question cocked the safety lever of his FN Five-seveN handgun although a second click sound was heard indicating that he put it back to safety mode.

"Hold your horses, private", the lieutenant replied, "As tempting as that sounds, you only live once so don't be that stupid to charge on in the battlefield on your own."

"I know that", the Ranger said as he holstered his handgun back on its holster, "I just want to release all the steam on my head onto something. Getting ditched in nowhere land doesn't sound funny, sir."

"I understand your sentiments but there's nothing that we can do about it", the lieutenant replied back, "We're in nowhere land and no contacts. Our only options as of now are to ensure that our skins won't be on a coffin or something of a box as much as possible."

"Alright… but say lieutenant, we're not going to encounter zombies right?", the Ranger asked.

The lieutenant frowned at the Ranger's question and replied.

"Where the hell did you get that question?", the lieutenant asked.

"I just got the feeling in my gut that something really weird is gonna come straight at us but I don't know what it is", the Ranger answered back, "Probably just my instincts kicking in at full auto."

"Just keep your cool and stay calm, soldier", the lieutenant said, "You're going to need tons of it in the situation that we are all in right now."

"Yeah, that's assuring that I didn't go crazy first", the Ranger replied back as he sat on his seat.

"Lieutenant, what should we do with 'Black Testarossa'?", another Ranger asked.

The lieutenant shifted his gaze to the Ranger who asked him about it before he replied.

"Well, it's a weapon but we can't use it at the moment", the lieutenant replied, "Besides, who do you think will be willing enough to use it? It's a top secret military project with no records of any sort so using it might not be a good idea. We also don't know if it has some defects because it's a prototype or something along those lines. Anyways, we must keep that thing intact until the techs that we rescued can properly set it up."

"Meh, just thought about it", the Ranger said, "If it weren't for the fact that it hasn't been cleared for use, I'm willing to volunteer to use it. Makes me feel that I can kick anybody's ass with it."

"Heh… I also have that feeling in my gut. Seems that I'm not the only one with that kind of idea here huh?", the lieutenant replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah right", the Humvee driver finally joined the conversation, "I wonder what it could do. I hope it can fly for doing some awesome haxor kills."

"We're going to find that out once the guys we rescued can get to work", the lieutenant said, "Anyways, where are we now sergeant?"

"Uhm… it's hard to figure it out sir", the Humvee driver answered, "I can't see any damn landmark ahead but green stuff everywhere."

"Sir, there's nothing that can be detected within the perimeter of our convoy as well", the communications officer added.

The lieutenant thought about the situation that they were in. It's already day one for him and the entire convoy that he is leading into this weird place. What's more in store for them?

"_Jesus Christ, just where are we?_", the lieutenant thought to himself.

_-TURN 14 END-_

* * *

**PS: Well that wraps up the entire flow of events for Turn 14. I hope you guys liked the action scenes here. If you noticed, I am planning to make this story as realistic as possible all the while preventing curbstomps. The fact that the US Rangers didn't engage the trolls in melee is already an indication of this.**

**For some nitpicking, here's the stuff that the armored convoy recovered.**

**1) Weapons  
-Pistols-  
**Mk.23 Mod 0, Desert Eagles, Colt Python, FN FiveseveN, P226 Handguns, P229 Handguns, Glock 18 Handguns.**  
-Shotguns-  
** Benelli M4, XM26 MSS, SPAS-12, AA-12, H&K Fabarm FP6.**  
-SMGs-  
**MP7 PDW, P90 SMG, MP5 SMG, UMP 45 SMG.**  
-Rifles-  
** M16A4, M4, IMI Galil AR, IMI Galil SAR, IMI Galil MAR, G36, TAR-21.**  
-Sniper Rifles-  
**MSG90, Barett M107A1, Mk14 EBRs (Designated Marksman and CQC rifle), Accuracy International AWM, SR-25, M24 SWS.**  
-Machine Guns-  
**M2 HMG, M240L LMG, M249 LMG, M27 IAR, IMI Negev, IMI Negev G7, M134 Minigun, H&K MG4.**  
-Chain Guns-  
** GAU-8 Avenger, Mk44 Bushmaster II, M61 Vulcan.  
**-Grenades-**  
MK3A2 HE, M84 Flash bang, M8 Smoke (HC), M18 Smoke (Violet, Green, Yellow, Red), M7A2 CS, AN-M14 Incendiary.  
**-Launchers-**  
SMAW, Mk19 Grenade Launcher, XM25 CDTE, M320 Modular Grenade Launcher, MM-1 Multi-Shot Grenade Launcher, M120 Mortar System.

**2) Miscellaneous  
-Equipment-**  
Tactical Ballistic Shields, MOPP gear, NV gear, Ammunition, Gun accessories, Food Rations, Construction tools, and other stuff.  
**-Unknown-**  
Black Testarossa (?)  
**-Schematics- (All installed within the armored convoy's computer database)**  
Laser Defense Turret, US Base Structures, US Base Defenses.

**3) Vehicles  
**- 5 Crusader Tanks  
- 3 Paladin Tanks  
- 6 Humvees  
- 3 Ambulances  
- 2 Microwave Tanks  
- 4 Overlord Tanks (With Gatling guns. With [Nuclear Tanks], [Uranium Shells], and [Chain Guns] upgrade)*  
- 16 Commanches Attack Helicopters  
- 18 Supply trucks*  
- 4 Tomahawk Launchers  
- 4 Construction Dozers  
-1 Inferno Cannon (with Neutron shells)  
- 2 Logistics Vehicle System Trucks (with crane attachment and other construction accessories)  
- 4 Combat Chinooks  
- 1 Ballast Tractor^

* - Recovered from the GLA  
^ - Contains 'Black Testarossa'  
Note: All US vehicles have cold fusion engines installed on them as well as improved armor plating.

**If anyone thinks that this is simply too much, well… you guys should credit this on the GLA. Almost all the weapons found in the "Weapons" list and the Chinese vehicles found on the "Vehicles" list were recovered from the GLA in the previous Turn. One more thing, I took the idea of writing everything that the convoy have based on the weapons selection menu of Counter-Strike which I play for a couple of hours as part of my leisure time. Besides, seeing that it's the Generals US Army, possessing these weapons and other stuff isn't too much of an overpower since they are the best equipped faction in C&C Generals after all. This is just keeping them in character.**

**Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter!**


End file.
